


What'd Ya Do?

by fairyScorpicus



Series: What'd Ya Do Continues [1]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Angry Erik Lehnsherr, Angst, Brainwashing, Canon-Typical Violence, Charles is disappointed and betrayed a lot, Charles will not give the braincell back, Don't Like Don't Read, Erik has one braincell and he gave it to Charles, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Government Experimentation, Hurt Peter, Hurt Pietro Maximoff, Hurt/Comfort, Just like Charles won't give Erik his heart back amiright, Kidnapping, Memory Loss, Minor Character Death, Minor Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, Protective Erik, Self-Esteem Issues, Shark Fam, The Author Regrets Nothing, X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) - Freeform, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), anmesia, but not really until chapter 20, dadneto, if canon-typical is Wolverine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2020-04-24 18:46:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 43
Words: 60,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19179244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyScorpicus/pseuds/fairyScorpicus
Summary: Peter was a loser, but losers couldn't break into the Pentagon so if he could maybe he wasn't a loser.Erik isn't dumb. The boy was clearly his son, and looked so much like Magda it hurt."They told me you can control metal." says the boy. "You know, my mom knew a guy who could do that." and yeah, Erik believes him.-----Basically: what-if Erik had more than one braincell and figured out Peter was his son?





	1. Peter is a loser (and he knows it)

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own X-Men anything. X-Men © Marvel/20th Century Fox or whatever's going on there I guess Disney will be buying the X-Men?

Peter is a loser.

He knows it. He’s 15 years old, has no job, and lives in his mom’s basement. What else do you call it?

He tries not to feel like a loser, he really does. But stealing things can only make a person so proud of themselves, and it certainly doesn’t make a person proud of him. His mom is cool like that, not necessarily proud but she understands the best she can and she’s a great mom. It makes him wish that he doesn’t have that urge to _take it even though he doesn’t need it and he has not a clue what he’s gonna do with it, he just wants it and his powers don’t make it any easier, they just taunt him and tell him that he could grab and no one would even notice and just steal it._ So yeah, Peter is a loser.

So when Poindexter, Claws, and Drugs arrive out of the blue with their mismatched clothing and general ragged appearance, like they hadn't slept in a few days, or maybe ever, and they asked to talk to him, Peter was excited. Finally, something new. Something distracting, something adventurous. They need his powers to _steal a person._ He wants to so bad. He's so bored all of the time, and he wants to agree, but he hesitates for a moment. His mind warns him. His mom would disapprove. Who are these people? Stranger danger, anyone? He knows he can't possibly get hurt by this adventure, but he's pretty sure his mom would draw a line at stealing a person, even if it's a prison break and not a kidnapping. So he plays it cool.

“That’s illegal you know,” he says casually, ldarting away to lounge on his couch. He throws them off, he knows, and he smirks openly. Maybe he shoudl say no, just to see their faces. Or his mom's face. Even if his basement room was filled with stuff, that was for himself (and yeah he’s a little selfish and he couldn’t help it). Peter contemplates the idea of saying no while licking his popsicle. At least had a chance against stealing this.

“Only if you get caught,” replies the gruff man with Poindexter and Drugs, and Peter grins. He likes him immediately. Drugs doesn't seem to care about anything, and he's actually a little scary. It's kind of cool. It doesn't help that he's standing next to Poindexter, and Poindexter looks too nerdy to break the law. Why are they hanging out with the coolest person on the planet? Well, besides Peter of course. But seriously, what is this guy doing here?

 _Nice,_ Peter thinks as he rushes about, blatantly showing off and this man talked as if he knew Peter so why not. Also, he’s super fast so it’s fun to play with people who aren't used to it but he doesn’t get a chance to do that because _yeah he knows the dangers he's just too fast to get caught but his family members aren’t_ , he reminds himself constantly.

“You’re not afraid to show your powers?” questioned the one on drugs who definitely was not a cop because his name sounded British and no cop used to be a teacher (“Hey what's with this Gifted Youngsters place?” “That’s an old card” Yeah well Peter was keeping it because contact information and it looked cool and also this guy obviously meant mutants by gifted youngsters too bad Peter isn't a youngster though because he's 15 and proud.)

Anyway, the (mutant?) guy sounded almost to tears and amazed as if he knew a mutant who hid his powers. Maybe it's Poindexter, he looks sad and uncomfortable. Drugs makes everyone uncomfortable, Peter decides. The person, not the object. The man is weird, and he's weirding Peter out and Peter decides that he doesn't like the guy very much. It also doesn't help that the old guy just switched from apathy to the verge of tears, which made Peter uncomfortable. Trying to hide his feelings, he continues messing around with stuff.

“Powers? What powers?" Peter questioned. "Did you see something? Something that somebody would believe if you told them?” Peter raised an eyebrow jovially. He smiled at the men in a way that was mock-sincere. Then a thought struck him and he darted over to his arcade game. He faced the screen to hide his face, because he knew he had a bad poker face, and looked at their reflections.

“What do I get out of it?” Because even if Peter’s a loner, he’ll find someone to show off to and if he does then he’ll need proof for… whatever it was. 

 _Show it off to who?_ his mind growls. _You have no friends. You're a loser._

“You, kleptomaniac,” sighed Drugs, irritated, and Peter wonders how he knows but then remembers, duh, he’s basking like a f***ing dragon in his hoard of stolen things so this guy was probably making an assumption. “Get to break into the Pentagon.”

Peter can't help it. He turns to face them because the reflection of his arcade game sucks anyways. And Peter's surprised. His poker face is gone. He looks at them, really looks at them, with wide eyes and takes them all in.

Three weirdos with a one of a kind deal to do something amazing and infamous and maybe even go down in history books has shown up at his door. This is a once in a lifetime deal, Peter can tell. This is going to be like every spy movie he's ever watched with his little sister, the kind of moment where you laugh at the screen because no way that's ever going to happen for you, even if you're a super-powered mutant. His heart hums in his chest like an excited hummingbird, like a well-oiled machine, because it's beating too fast for a normal human being.

 _OH MY GOD, I WANT TO,_ his mind nearly roars at him.Peter knows there's no way for him to say no, that no matter what else happens next, he's going along with them. His mind is full of thoughts, begging and pleading, the ones he always has to examine closely because those are the thoughts that lead him to steal street signs and arcade machines and twenty television sets. But he does consider them and he does, he really wants to go, because it's a lifetime opportunity, mom can yell at him later.

“How do I know I can trust you?” because _hello, strangers asking to break into the Pentagon?_ Peter may be a loser but he's no idiot. It's also, if Peter admits it to himself, the last effort to stay home and keep his mom proud.

And that’s how Claws finally gets his name. Peter was totally about to decide his nickname was Lumberjack or something along those lines, or something cooler, but nope. Claws. _Wow, he’s a mutant too!_ but all Peter can say, (because _eww are they made of BONE?!_ ) was, “Cool, but it’s disgusting.”

He maintains eye contact with Claws for about five seconds before he has to glance away because that _is_ disgusting even if Peter isn't squeamish. But the man seems more amused than annoyed about everything Peter does so he doesn't comment. He's a little thankful that Claws doesn't say anything.

They’re like him, and somehow know he has kleptomania, wait, dragon hoard, right, and most important of all, losers can’t break into the Pentagon so if he could do this, then maybe he’s not a loser. So yeah, obviously he agrees.

“Okay,” he says, and gets up to grab all the supplies that he thinks he will need. He tries to act professional about it, but how professional is wearing a silver leather jacket and bringing only a Walkman, headphones, and silver duct tape? When Claws catches his eyes, Peter cannot help but release a small grin of amusement. The knowing and yet amused face that Claws gives him is nearly enough to forgive the fact that no, we’re not letting you run to the Pentagon, and yes, you have to stay in the car, and no, we aren’t stopping for food, we’re breaking into the Pentagon so can you not, and YOU AREN'T DRIVING WHILE WE ARE IN THE CAR YOU ARE CLEARLY A SPEED DEMON AND STOP ASKING ME TO DRIVE FASTER 30 IS THE SPEED LIMIT SO I AM NOT PASSING IT, PETER. 

The car ride back was going to be super annoying if no one in the car was okay with doing anything fun. Hopefully the guy they broke out was going to be interesting or chill, you know? Whatever. At least he gets to meet someone his mom once knew because when they told him that the guy they were breaking out of the Pentagon controls metal, Peter very casually asked if he was the only metal-controlling mutant there was in the world. AND HE IS. At least currently. Mutants can have the same powers. And apparently, that's part of the Professor/Druggy/Wait-his-name-is-Charles-according-to-that-card’s mutant power, which he doesn’t seem eager to exercise because he refuses to say if Peter’s powers are one of a kind, no matter how much Peter pesters him.

So the only one with powers that he knows is Claws.

Maybe it would be less disgusting if it was made of metal, Peter ponders. Metal! Right! The guy that they’re going to break out of the Pentagon controls metal! Not only is that sick, but his mom told him that she once knew a guy who could do that.

Peter doesn’t understand why Claws kept smirking at him after he asked about the metal mutant. Did he know something Peter didn’t?

He huffed to himself and gazed outside the window, watching the houses and other cars pass agonizingly slowly. This better be worth the ride, he thinks, and he can't shake the feeling that it will _definitely_ be worth the ride.

If only Claws would stop staring at him so knowingly, and start, Peter doesn't know, entertaining him on the car ride there?

"What's your favorite band?" Peter asks him, hoping for anyone he'd know, if just to have a conversation.

"I don't know any bands from this year. Or any bands in general. I don't listen to music," Claws replies, and that's it, Peter is shutting up. Forever. He thought this guy is cool, but he's just as weird as the rest of them. Possibly worse. Who doesn't listen to music? What a loser.


	2. Erik isn’t dumb (but he can’t believe it)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yada yada i don't own X-Men, gosh I'm gonna go ahead and post the second chapter here already

Erik isn't dumb. He sees the facts when they're in his face.

Stuck inside the Pentagon for a large number of years ( _about a third of life, oh wow_ ) didn't make him stupid. It made him bored. The days were all the same, and the only way to tell the time was if he asked a guard, who would seldom reply, or to wait for the lights to turn off or on, which meant it was either 8 pm or 8 am. Erik has nothing to do except play mental games with himself and meditate. He used to have a chessboard. After two guards died, it was taken away. He wouldn't have killed them if he knew that they would have taken his only form of entertainment away.

Solitary confinement. They say it will drive you mad, and Erik believes it. As the nonexistent clock ticks on endlessly, without any real sounds other than the ones he makes, he can almost feel his brain rotting away despite his best efforts. He's probably already gone crazy, long before they captured him.

He's crazy, not stupid. But when a boy who is clearly a mutant with a familiar smile breaks the window to his cell, he just  _CAN'T BELIEVE IT_. There are no coincidences. No chances, probabilities, whatever it is. This boy is his son. It's in his chin, cheekbones, a bit in the nose, (although it's mostly his father in that nose, and it crashes a sea of emotions into Erik, its like a face from the past) all over his son. The boy grins and  _MAGDA MAGDA MAGDA it's so clearly her smile and it hurts_.  

 

He has to keep his cool, he tells himself as he stands up and lets the glass rain down on him, washing away his world without noise without leaving a scratch on his body to show for it. He has to keep his cool, he tells himself as he climbs out of the cell and watches men with guns approach, and this crazy foolish boy grins and holds his neck to prevent whiplash, whatever that means. But it's hard when you are being broken out of the Pentagon by your son who has speed powers which make you want to throw up even though its a great power, could have been helpful for his Brotherhood except that _this is his son, no, don't think that_ , and only once you are in the elevator and your son is talking way too much and way too fast right now, do you realize that  _this kid doesn't know that you're his dad_. No one could have stopped Erik's eyebrows from shooting up in surprise at this realization.

 

"You know, they told me that you could control metal." the boy says, oh so casually and oh so comfortable in the presence of his own father, and Erik freezes, because he should have thought about this that _the boy wouldn't break into the Pentagon for a random person that he doesn't know is his dad without a reason, and someone must have forced him, and who could it be._

 

"They?" Erik panics quietly. His mind whirls, trying to figure out who could have possibly wanted Erik out so badly. He can't think of anyone. His mental exercises aren't doing their job.

 

"You know, my mom once knew a guy who could do that." The boy ignores him and yeah, Erik believes him. He may have even said something, except the elevator door opened and suddenly there was pain, lashing across his face and making itself be known. None of his wildest dreams could have imagined that it was Charles was standing there except Charles was different, so angry and bitter and when the door opened for the guards, powerless, too?  _WHO COULD HAVE DONE THIS TO CHARLES_?! And then Erik felt the joy of being able to use his powers except then the guards were all taken down because of his son, _oh no his son, he could have gotten hurt except no he wouldn't have because of his speed, idiot._  Except Erik isn't dumb.

 

Being stuck in a car to the airport with his son reveals a lot. His name is Peter, he has the attention span of a fly, probably due to his powers giving him a twisted perception of time. It makes Erik a little sad if he wasn't so caught up in the feels of the similarities of Peter's face.

He has Erik's father's nose. Peter was probably named after Magda's father, Pietro. He had Erik's mother's eyes, and that hurt terribly. He had his mother's cheekbones, and Magda's chin, giving him a slightly delicate appearance, helping to hide how he was Erik's son. It was a slight blessing, Erik supposed, because right now they were sitting next to each other and he wasn't so sure that he wanted anyone else in the car to know of their relation quite yet.

 

Speaking of his perception of time, it was amazing to watch his powers, but he can see it is a curse. Throughout the entire car ride, the boy practically blurs in impatience, tapping, bouncing, humming, talking quickly and endlessly and it was a little hard for him to follow, and he's so flashy and silver and Erik thought that since the boy was wearing a stolen Pentagon security hat that maybe the boy even had kleptomania, which would be hard to curb with his kleptomania, even harder for a human. He felt bad for Magda, as well as angry because  _who hides their_ (about 15 year old?) _son from someone who they've shared a child with before and knew he would make a great father?!_

 _One who knew he would kill for their child because he has_ , his mind whispers, and the anger dissipates and is replaced with shame and guilt.

 _His son_. Erik looks at Peter again. He's talking rapid-fire.

 

"Hey-so-that-was-cool-this-hat-I-grabbed-from-that-security-guard-is-awesome-did-you-see-their-faces-that-was-soooo-awesome-wasn't-it-hey-how-long-will-this-drive-be-I'm-bored-is-this-guy-a-criminal-he-keeps-glancing-at-me-no-one-has-really-told-me-why-he-was-there-why-is-he-your-friend-can-we-stop-to-get-something-to-eat-this-is-so-cool-I'm-bored-what's-your-guys'-real-names-I've-been-calling-you-Drugs,-Claws,-Pointdexter,-and-Meticalla-in-my-head-'cause-you're-obviously-on-drugs-why-did-I-even-come-with-you-you-look-like-you've-crawled-out-from-under-a-rock-and-Claws-and-Pointdexter-is-sort-of-obvious-and-you-control-metal-and-look-like-a-rock-music-kind-of-guy-so-Meticalla-is-kind-of-funny-or-obvious-too-don't-you-think-but-seriously-when-will-this-end-and-meticalla-keeps-looking-at-me-why-are-we-only-going-45-miles-per-hour-I'm-bored-can-we-go-faster-please-I'm-also-getting-hungry-because-all-my-speed-has-to-go-somewhere-ya-know-heavy-metabolism-can-we-go-faster-I'm-bored-oh-wait-what-was-I-talking-about-"

Peter rattles off in one breath, going fast enough that Erik has to strain to hear what Peter is saying and he flushes a little when Peter mentions him staring at him. 

 

"Gah!" interrupts Charles violently. He has changed so much, what has happened to him... "Just shut up already!" Then Erik snaps at Charles to leave the boy alone and Peter gives him a gentle smile just like Magda would. He can't meet the boy's eyes anymore. He glances out the window and he doesn't know whether to hug the boy or to run away.

 

The car eventually pulls up at the airport, and Erik isn't dumb it is Charles' plane. then Erik panics because  _oh no oh no they better no be bringing Peter with them into danger into this mission and Erik didn't even know what they were doing but they weren't going to bring Peter his son into danger._ He opens his mouth but Peter beats him to the punch.

 

"Hey, I saw your flight plan. Why are you guys going to Paris?" Charles looked annoyed and amazed as he replied vaguely about friends and Erik felt relieved because _he wouldn't be vague unless Peter wasn't coming._

 

Then Charles tosses Peter the car keys. "And Peter? Take it slow." he jokes. Erik is horrified by the clueless on how to drive but excited look Peter has, and he grins back anyways and  _all Erik wants to do is reach out to his son who is turning to leave and look into his Magda-like eyes and hug him and say 'I am your father' and protect him and teach him how to drive._  His son opens the door to leave, and ERIK NEEDS TO SAY SOMETHING anything right because he might not see Peter again but then Peter closes the door behind him and Erik stands there for a moment like _oh_ but as he turns to enter the plane he knows.

 

Erik isn't dumb. Peter is his son, and even though it's not safe for anyone to know that Peter is his son, Erik knows that  _he will see Peter again, and that is a promise._ Fate will bring Erik back, and if it doesn't then Erik will put matters into his own hands like he's always done.


	3. Logan is horrible to Erik (maybe using Peter was a bad idea)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y'all: please  
> me, waking up: hnnggh?  
> y'all: upda-  
> me, fully awake: YES

Logan is horrible to Erik. He relishes this with pride and an admittedly misguided sense of justice, because he spent a lot of years trying to bring Magneto down in the future, so tormenting him now was okay. It also felt great. Cathartic, even. Forget meditation or any of that mumbo-jumbo, just time travel fifty years in the past and bully your worst enemy. Although he won't admit it, it was part of the reason he even suggested using Peter to the others. Having Peter there, hanging Magneto's child on a string in front of a man who doesn't know yet was too great to resist. Logan has a right to be horrible to Erik, he tells himself. But maybe using Peter was a bad idea, because even Logan had to admit, Erik was no idiot. He had been staring at Peter the entire car ride. He's not even joking. Logan didn't think the metal bender even blinked. Erik would win every staring contest in existence. So obviously he had figured it out, and now Logan wondered if that changed the timeline for the worse or something, he doesn't know how this works, so yeah, using Peter was a bad idea. Probably.

Logan was already sitting on the plane, trying to get comfortable, when Erik walked on. The man looks around the plane with no surprise whatsoever about how fancy it is, and Logan has to resist huffing in annoyance. Of course, Erik wouldn't be fazed by how posh Charles is, but does he have to act like he owns the plane?

"Imagine if they were metal," growls the metal controlling mutant when Logan pins down his newspaper with his claws to keep Erik from taking it because haha _Erik, this is my way to ignore the drama that's about to unfold on this plane, and it's my newspaper, not yours._

Just because Erik doesn't know the future, and Logan knows this, doesn't mean it doesn't piss Logan off. And Erik isn't dumb he knows who Peter is and Logan is so tempted to say something about Peter but Charles finally gets on the plane and goes into the cockpit to talk to Hank so Logan has to prep Erik on the mission.

"You and Charles sent me from the future, where a scientist named Trask uses Raven's DNA to build mutant-killing machines called Sentinels." he starts, and Erik finally looks surprised and stares at him, so Logan continues because he thinks Erik is going to pay attention to what he's saying, everyone take a picture quickly.

"I take it we're great buddies in the future," Erik said dryly when he finishes. He must have picked up on the not-so-hidden signals Logan was giving off, so he doesn't even try to hide it from the metal bender.

"I spent a lot of years trying to bring you down, bub." Logan agrees truthfully. "You're like me. You're a survivor. I've been in a lot of wars, and this was the bloodiest I've ever seen." he shook his head slightly. He doesn't want to be stuck in this mess, stuck with this future, stuck with this Erik or any other version of Erik. The man just gets on his nerves easier than breathing.

Erik huffs, and Logan gets irritated but that insolent puff of air, and adds almost without thinking, "I'm going to miss that kid. He's so... different in the future." He almost regrets it, watching Erik's face change from cocky to uncertain. Because even if Logan is horrible to Erik and he knows it, Peter was a good kid and he honestly regrets pulling Peter into this mess. Maybe this was a bad idea. Erik narrows his eyes, looking just like old Magneto when something doesn't go that way he planned it but he has a Plan B set up.

"Pray tell?" Erik asks in a quiet voice, and it's not really a request so much as it's a demand, but younger Erik is slightly less intimidating than older Erik, and Logan's never really been afraid of Magneto anyways. Not to mention, Logan wants to see Erik suffer a little. And so Logan lets himself be hot-headed and stupid and he shakes his head and Erik, clearly saying,  _no, I don't think I will._

Of course, now that's Logan has riled Erik all up, steam practically coming out of his ears as he openly contemplates whether to murder Logan right here and now, now is a perfect time for Hank to start up the plane and for Charles to walk over. So then Charles and Erik fight.

"How did you lose them?" Erik started with a hint of curiosity, and everyone knows that a fight is inevitable but you have to work your way up to it, you know? And you might as well learn something from it. Logan pays attention for this part, because he's a little curious as well, and if Old Erik and Charles can be courteous before their forces battle, then surely younger Charles and Erik can as well.

**"** The treatment for my spine affects my DNA," Charles stated, squaring his shoulders slightly. His hands curl into fists and Logan raises an eyebrow.

"You sacrificed your powers so you could walk?!" Erik said incredulously, a hint of outrage in his eyes, and  _nope_ , Logan thinks,  _they are going to go straight to shouting like a married couple._

"I sacrificed my powers so that I could sleep!" Charles snapped bitterly, and then after a small pause, added a low blow. "What do you know about it?"

Erik glanced out the window dramatically in a true Erik fashion. "I've lost my fair share." He said softly, and Logan knows this is true, although it was dramatic and was definitely not going to stop Charles, who he had to admit, was nothing like the old Charles and was very snappish and angry and Logan was a little confused about that. And their conversation didn't reveal anything that Logan deemed important.

"Hah!" Charles barked immediately. "Dry your eyes, Erik. Doesn't justify what you've done."

"You have no idea what I've done." Erik turned back to Charles' unforgiving gaze and narrowed his eyes in response, looking to all the world exactly like a hunter about to catch its prey.

"I know that you took the things that mean the most to me." Charles plowed on stubbornly, unfazed by Erik's icy gaze, and Logan realized that Charles was gunning for a real fight, not just the verbal blows that Logan had only seen them do, which seemed very un-Charles-like.  _What an idiot, he has no powers and he's going up against Erik? Does he have a death wish? Erik probably wouldn't kill the Professor, right? God, Logan better not be making a worse timeline._

Erik realized this as well but wasn't about to back down.  **"** Well, maybe you should have fought harder for them!" he snarled and gave a minuscule wince that only Logan detected. He squared his shoulders and Logan didn't know if its was a defensive gesture or offensive.

Charles leaped to his feet. "If you want to fight, Erik, then I will give you a fight!" he shouted, already stepping forward.

Logan tried to interrupt it uncertainly. "Sit down!" he ordered, but he made no move to get up because he had never seen them fight like this before, with actual hurt emotions brewing like a storm, and with words that dripped with betrayal and devastation like how the air smelled of ozone.

Erik raised his hand calmly, his angry eyes betraying his calm movements. "Let him come," he stated calmly, his tone cold but brittle, like ice about to break.

"You abandoned me!" shouted Charles, grabbing Erik by the shoulders. "You took her away, and you abandoned me!" A teary emotion caught in his throat during the second sentence, but Erik wasn't having any of it.

**"** Angel. Azazel. Emma. Banshee. Mutant brothers and sisters, all dead!" Erik refuted, his emotions clouding him and the plane began to crumble and the plane began to dive. "Countless others, experimented on, butchered!" his voice rose louder and louder with each word. Logan clung to his seat, alarmed. Their future relationship as enemies had anger too, but it was controlled and Charles would remind each other of old friendships until they became friends again, but this current Charles had no restraint, and Erik, no elegance of future Magneto.

"Erik!" yelped Hank from the cockpit as various objects fell off tables and began to slide down to the front of the plane.

Erik ignored Hank's cry, his voice filled with disgust and rage as he continued to shout at Charles, who was clinging to his seat to avoid falling over. "Where were you, Charles?" he accused. "We were supposed to protect them! Where were you when your own people needed you? Hiding! You and Hank! Pretending to be something you're not!"

**"** Erik!" Hank shouted again, a hint of fear in his voice as the machines in the cockpit made various alerts and alarms.

The plane steadied as Erik reined in his words with one last hateful sentence. "You abandoned us ALL!"

Charles tried to hide his hurting emotions and stood up and stalked into the cockpit with Hank and slammed the door shut.

Logan straightened his newspaper with a loud snap, and Erik twitched. "So you were always an asshole," he stated with certainty, and Erik frowned at him in a way that suggested that while the metal bender was in no mood to fight anymore, he was aware Logan was riling him up earlier and was doing so again.

"I take it we're great buddies in the future," he said sarcastically, and Logan snorted in genuine amusement because he could appreciate the dry humor even if he couldn't appreciate who said it.

"I spent a lot of time trying to bring you down. You're a survivor, like me." Logan said simply. Then he pointed at the dishes and other various objects on the floor from the falling plane. "You gonna pick that crap up?"

Erik shot him a look that said,  _are you kidding me?_  but Logan pretended to read his newspaper and after a moment of silence, Erik sighed and bent down to clean up.

Logan wishes Charles had his telepathy because then perhaps he would understand that Erik is just worried and Logan had riled him up and was taking it out on Charles when he should be taking it out on Logan. So yeah, Logan is horrible to Erik, and bringing Peter into this was a very bad idea.


	4. Charles doesn't have his powers (so everything falls apart)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> probably shouldn't be updating one chapter a day because I don't know how long I can keep this up... but on the other hand I adore my readers and their comments,,,

suckveCharles doesn't have his powers. If he did, then maybe he would understand why Erik is so  _angry all the time._  Maybe he would know if Logan is telling the truth, although why wouldn't he, and how Raven is feeling and where she is and if Hank is actually okay, because  _who wants to deal with a useless drugged up looking guy_ (Honestly, Peter's face shows everything)  _and he understands he looks and acts weird and he wants his powers back, but he wants to use his legs, which admittedly, is cool, but he can't deAL WITH THE VOICES AND HE WANTS TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP,_  and Erik just isn't helping and doesn't understand. 

And then Erik tried to make it up to Charles during the plane ride over a game of chess and Charles almost wants his powers to see how genuine this is because he can't believe Erik is being nice. And Charles kind of feels happy. Yeah, Charles is tentatively happy and starts to tentatively hope that everything will be okay. Eventually. Charles is almost glad his powers are gone because he doesn't want to be in Erik's head, remember? And maybe this way Erik will trust him? The thought is bittersweet, and the moment is like a blooming flower thinking winter has ended. Like the plant, he doesn't know if the harsh winter is over, but if he's wrong and miscalculated, then it could destroy him.

And then they find Raven at the Paris Peace Accords and she gets tased and Logan is right, she has changed, and Charles wants to help but he can't. Because once again, no powers, but he also promised that he wouldn't go in Raven's head either so that's okay he guesses?

"Erik and I, we've come for you. Together!" Charles tells her after Erik pulls the taser off and he can't entirely hide the joy in his voice. Raven looks at him warmly and he saw a glimpse of the old Raven and he's even happier, he's absolutely joyful, but then Raven looks over his shoulder and there's fear in her eyes and Charles's heart sinks downwards, so far down with a crash at the bottom like a submarine hitting the bottom of the seafloor at top speed.

"Erik?" She gasped with a hint of fear. "Please, no, please don't do this." Charles turns to see Erik's stony expression and negative feelings swell in Charles.

"Erik, no!" he says, betrayal in his voice. "What are you doing?!"  _STOP!_  His thoughts scream.  _I thought I could trust you again how COULD you?! How could you betray me again?_

But Erik isn't listening or caring. He is no telepath and he never stops to think about feelings in moments like this. "I'm protecting our future, Raven." he declared, and instantly everything happens.

Raven lunges away in a fluid motion and crashes through the window, while Charles tackles Erik, and Erik shoots the gun. Then Erik slams Charles to the floor.  _Not for the first time, but at least it isn't on a beach on Cuba_ , he thinks dryly before his head hits the floor and  _ouch, but at least he knows its not a concussion because he didn't hit the floor hard enough._

 Erik manipulates the metal in the bullet, and it turns out Charles did nothing to change anything when he tackled Erik in his fit of desperation because it still hit Raven. he glances at Logan, who for some reason is not helping him. Logan is busy staring at the young soldier who tased Raven, who was lying there on the floor, and there's recognition and horror, and Logan is sliding down the way, holding his head and shaking it. The mutant is muttering to himself and looking confused. Charles decides that there's too much weirdness in that, and Logan isn't being helpful right now to stop Magneto, so he glances at Hank, who moves from protecting Trask, who is holding the mutant detector with a look of surprise. Hank meets his eyes and nods, and Charles pulls himself up using the table and pushes his hair back and is about to tell Hank to  _go stop Magneto from killing Raven,_ and then Logan is standing up and growling at him.

"Where am I?!" he snarls, looking around, and  _Charles doesn't know what's happening or why and he can't help because he doesn't have his powers and he feels so so so useless_ and then Hank turns blue and makes it worse and Logan shouts, "WHAT THE **** IS THAT?!" and Hank goes after Magneto and leaves Charles to deal with the mess and Logan turns to Charles and snarls, "Who are you?"

"Charles Xavier," he says in confusion. He turns towards the window to watch the action, but Logan grabs his shoulder. His eyes are wide and on the verge of freaking out.

"I don't know you!" the clawed mutant cries and his eyes dart around.

"I'm Charles Xavier, you've spent the last couple of days with us-" Logan's eyes narrow in a mixture of confusion and rage, and Charles panics and says the first thing he can think of.

"You're on acid!" he yells. Logan stops and stares at him.

"Someone gave you...really, uh, bad......acid..." he says and yes he is aware he is bad at improvisation but Logan is really freaking him out right here but then Logan shakes his head and is back to normal and doesn't explain anything to Charles, which is incredibly unhelpful. Then the pair run out of the building.

 

 

They failed, but at least Raven is alive, and maybe Charles would be more helpful if he had his powers.

And now they need his powers and Charles is a little afraid. He has to use Cerebro, and he tries, but there's so much fear and pain and hate in the world and he hasn't used his powers in a while and  _he is afraid._

 _"I'm the wrong man,"_ he cries, desperately, because the world has nothing good in it anymore, only pain and suffering. Charles doesn't believe he can do this.

"They were going to send you, but your mind was too big," Logan said. "You were a teacher for me, now I have to be a teacher for you. Look into my mind. You can't hurt me more than I already have been." Logan's words are gentle, and so Charles looks and he sees so much death and pain and experiments and killing. Logan can be so gentle and Charles didn't understand how he could be so gentle and so violent at times and so wise, but one glance into Logan's mind tells everything, it speaks of unspeakable things and Charles doesn't think he's ever seen a more tortured man in his life. It's the worst thing in the entire world and he hates it.

 _You poor, poor, man,_ he thinks, but the horror continues, and the world is affected now, its Logan's tortured point of view of a tortured world, their future.

"No!" he cries. "I don't waNT YOUR FUTURE! I DON'T WANT YOUR  _PAIN_!!"

"Look beyond my future," Logan calmly tells him. "Look for yours."

Charles is nervous, but he does. And somehow the future Charles ( _who is bald, wow, and way old, but he remembers one time he made a joke to Moira about how he was a professor in a wheelchair, and next he'll be going bald and hey he was right)_  knows that the past Charles was there, and told him not to be afraid of his gifts, and look for the happiness, and  _this Charles is so wise and if this is the man who taught Logan then Logan was probably really confused when they first met._

_"Charles, we need you to hope," Old Charles says, and Charles looks to see Magneto next to Old Charles, and Charles allows himself to try to look for the bright side again, allows himself to try to hope again._

But now Charles knows what he has to do, and he finds Raven and tells her to come home, but she doesn't. Charles almost despairs, because he's trying again, he's trying, and things are still going to crap, even if he has his powers. He didn't have his powers, and everything's falling apart. But now he does have his powers, ...but everything's still falling apart. But Raven had a plane ticket to D.C. so they know where to go, at least. 

Then Hank comes back, and even though Logan teases Hank about being a nerd, Hank's nerdiness helps to show where they have to go next because tomorrow at the White House the president will reveal the Sentinels, and the situation is quickly veering into nightmarish territory. Charles has to wonder if Raven dying or not will change anything.

"Trask industries still got Raven's blood from the pavement in Paris," explained Hank. "But Trask is going to be at the White House tomorrow, which means Raven is going to try to kill Trask on national television."

"That's going to suck for mutants," Logan grimaced.

"We have to stop her," says Hank, and Charles agrees.

Charles didn't have his powers, so he was useless, so everything fell apart, but now he's trying to brave it through. As Hank situates him into his wheelchair, Logan looks at him with approval, and Charles hopes that with his powers, he can fix as much as he can and save the future. He secretly hopes in the back of his mind that he isn't useless with his powers as well.


	5. Erik gets time to his thoughts (he hasn't changed)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ahhh

Erik flings himself into the crowd, desperately trying to blend in. He failed at killing Raven, Hank gave him a nice cut on the head (Erik did not appreciate almost drowning) and after this attempt, Charles will probably just send him off with the authority, and back to the Pentagon, which Erik spent way too much time down there. Ten years with nothing to do was too much free time, and Erik had too much time for his thoughts, and he wouldn't be too surprised if he goes a little crazy. After the panic dies down and Erik has dried off, he goes to a nearby hotel to think, plan, and recuperate. Despite the fact he didn't have his helmet to cover his face during the fight earlier, the hotel assistants don't give him a second glance, which Erik feels thankful for.

Sitting leisurely in an armchair, Erik multitasks. He watches news of the aftermath of Paris while stitching up his head wound. He gingerly touches the back of his head, wincing and pulling his fingers away with blood on them. 

 _Thanks, Hank,_  he thinks sarcastically. _I love you. You're my best friend. God, you're so annoying._

He watches the television as Trask's scientists scrape Raven's blood off the pavement.

 _I've messed up. She didn't need to be dead for her DNA to be taken. Stupid, stupid, stupid._  he mentally berated himself.

 _Again_ , his mind whispers.  _You've failed again and again. As hope or mutants' future, as Charles' friend, as Raven's friend, as Anya's father, as Peter's, too. He doesn't even know._

"I'll get the chance later-" he starts to say, but then stops because talking out loud to yourself is the first sign of insanity, even if you're just organizing your thoughts, and it's not just talking, he's arguing with himself. He recalls the thought earlier about the ten years with too much time to himself. He deems this the real reason.

It's  _totally_  this reason he stops talking. Not because he realized that if he went after Peter, the humans could notice and take Peter away just like everything and anything else. It was definitely the first reason.

He has to stop the humans. They ruin everything. They take everything. He has to stop them before they take Peter too.

If only he could stop the Sentinels, but there's no metal in them and they were being sent to D.C. tonight for the president's speech tomorrow.

Tonight. What a perfect time for an ambush. An idea begins to form. Take out the Sentinels tonight?

What if instead, he controlled them and used their machines to kill them?

Charles wouldn't like it one bit. He recalls earlier, the hope in Charles' eyes when he glanced from him to Raven and the betrayal in his voice when Erik held the gun.

 _What if Charles tries to stop you?_  his mind growls. Charles. He can't trust Charles, he was never one for violence and he'll try to get into his head, mind control him, and stop him. But he can't stop Charles because he doesn't have his helmet. His helmet is at the Pentagon, and he isn't really sure if he ever wants to see that horrible place again.

But this is for mutant brothers and sisters.

He puts on his leather jacket for comfort and steps outside when he is done with the stitches. As he drives, he reaches out to the metal in the car for reassurance. He isn't afraid, he just likes having his powers and isn't keen on being forced into a stupid plastic prison again.

Then he reminds himself that he is still in Paris, France and what he needs is across the ocean. He makes a fake I.D. with the name Michael Fassbender and slips onto a plane headed to Virginia with relative ease. Since he doesn't have all night, he subtly manipulates the metal in the plane to go a little faster.

It doesn't shorten the flight by much and he feels super impatient as he rents a car (which he won't return, and also he realizes Charles must have rented a car from here too because he recognizes that dented car over there, _except Charles hadn't dented the car, he doesn't recall the car that they drove to the airport being that destroyed, wait, wait, didn't they make Peter drive it back? Oh no, he must be a really bad driver. Was he even old enough for a learner's permit? He KNEW that kid didn't know how to drive! He's never letting Peter drive HIS car. Wait no, getting off track, think about your son later_.)

Armed with his half-pound steel weights, the balls floating in circles in his hands, with the comforting feeling of metal to ground him because he spent too much time in that metal-less cell, he breaks into the Pentagon.

He is wearing a fedora and shades to help hide from cameras, duh. Not because he likes dramatics or anything, even while he is nervous. He strolls down the hallway, letting his senses guide him toward his helmet. He knocks out the guard at the desk, who at the sight of him is too scared to move. Honestly, that puny human deserved it for not doing his job well. When he finds his helmet, he does his best to ignore Angel's wings and the fabric from Alex's suit because that was a long time ago and he's making things right. He does, however, pause at the coin on the last display. It's covered in dried blood, but he recognizes that coin. Shaw's coin. He stares at it, old anger burning in his chest. Shaw took his mother, he deserved that death. Now he's making sure that the rest of his new family won't be taken away. He focuses on his helmet, removing his shades to see it better in the dim lighting. It's the real deal, not some stupid fake, and he holds out his hand, using his powers to latch onto the helmet, and pulls it through the wall with ease.

The smooth feel of the metal against the tips of his fingers gives him purpose. Charles was such a fool for trusting Erik.

Is Charles a fool for trusting Erik? Trust is such a hard thing to earn, and yet Charles does it with ease. Was it because of their old friendship, or did Charles believe in everyone? Even if he wasn't a fool, he is still incredibly naive. At least Charles can trust Erik to do what he always does: fight for mutant kind. Charles can trust Erik, but he shouldn't trust Erik to do what Charles thinks is the right thing.

He slips away from the Pentagon and D.C. to the nearest Trask industries building, presumably where the Sentinels are being kept to be sent to D.C.

He slips into a Trask uniform and hides in the shadows. There are a lot of workers around at this time of night, confirming Erik's suspicions. He waits for the train instead of attacking now so that no one will know he hijacked the Sentinels. When a train finally arrives, workers put large, rectangular boxes in it, conveniently large enough for a completed Sentinel. He learns the route they are taking and leaves quickly.

Halfway to D.C., he flies onto the back of the train, full Magneto outfit on. He removes several rails from behind the train and breaks them up into little metal fibers, which he attaches to the control panel and joints of each Sentinel.

They built these machines to destroy mutants, but now mutants will use their machines to destroy them.

Near D.C., he gets another hotel and starts to plan his speech, because he is going to recruit mutant brothers and sisters (and maybe Peter? He feels stupid for that hopeful thought because then Peter might get hurt) on live television and the president and other government people at the White House deserved to know why they were being killed.

Wow, he planned all that in less than a day? He didn't even get that much time to himself! And Charles thinks he's changed. Nope, he is still impatient, dramatic, and doing the right thing for mutant kind. And his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all: update  
> me: complies  
> Also me: I don't know how long I can keep this up, updating every day, so be warned folks it might eventually become once every other day. But not today ahahahah


	6. Peter is a fool (life? return to normal?)

Peter is a fool. He had honestly believed that if he broke someone out of the Pentagon, life would return to normal just like that. He didn't think about the consequences until they were staring at him in the face. Through a TV screen. On live television. NATIONAL LIVE TELEVISION. Threatening to kill the president!

Don't get Peter started in the confusion and fear and shock when he saw a blue furry attacking who he thought was Erik at the Paris Peace Accords on television. The film was shaky and blurry, but Peter had been fairly convinced that it was Erik. The small fact that neither of those two blue people had been with Charles, Logan, or Hank was the only thing that kept Peter from at home or saying anything. Yeah, that had freaked Peter out a lot, and he had quickly changed channels to his little sister's favorite cartoon and left the room when his mom had come home from work.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_  That man had been locked up for a reason! He was a terrorist! A freaking metal-controlling terrorist who was going to give a bad name to all mutants! And it was all Peter's fault. So now Peter gently pushed his sister off of himself, straightened her little pink dress, grabbed his silver jacket, put on his goggles, and had to go fix his mess.

"Peter, what are you doing?" his little sister, Lorna, asked, confusion clouding over her tiny face. He brushed her bangs out of the way to peck her on the top of her head.

"I have to stop him. I'll be right back," he replied, he turned to his mother, ready for her to stop him, but paused at the terrified expression on her face, tears silently streaking down as her hands covered her mouth. He uncertainly muttered an apology and speed away in a mix of guilt and confusion.

_Peter is a fool, he made a mistake, and now he's running as fast as he can at the moment to the White House and he's so angry at himself because come on of course something would happen and now he's leaving his family to stop his mistake. Ohhh... he didn't tell his mom what he did and he is kind of glad? Because it means right now she doesn't have a reason to hate or fear him yet? But he has to tell her after all this and he feels so guilty. He just KNOWS that she is going to look at him like she was looking at the television and he feels awful and- Woah are we at the White House already? Oh well, no time to himself let's book it and save some probably important government people he does not know anything about. He's a teenager and most people his age don't care about politics!_

He arrived in front of the White House faster than a normal human's heartbeat. He ignored the fact that he was probably in view of some of the cameras and took a deep breath. He glanced around and spotted Erik in strange maroon armor, floating above lifting an entire stadium. He gulped in a moment of slight nervousness.  _As long as he doesn't catch you, you can beat him. You're unstoppable right now,_ he told himself, then proceeded to jump up to the supervillain using the frozen falling debris from the stadium.

Okay, so maybe Magneto did not exactly drop the stadium by himself. But he was going to! It was of little consequence that Peter punched him in the face, which caused the metal-controlling mutant to lose his concentration and drop the giant metal contraption.  Either way, it hit the ground. Peter unfroze time with a victorious smirk, before realizing in a moment of pure, blind, absolute terror that  _there was nothing between him and the ground besides a whole lot of air._

Peter let out a yowl of fear and he began to plummet, but then he was almost instantly caught. He was held in the air... by his belt? And his watch?

A chunk of metal flew over and curled itself around his chest, effectively keeping Peter from falling. Peter glanced up in a moment of relief and gratitude. 

Magneto hovered shakily in the air in his maroon armor and weird-looking helmet ( _What is the point of that helmet, it's so stupid)_ , ignoring the stadium and the pandemonium below, a look of anger and... panic on his face as well, as he held out an arm towards Peter. Peter blinked in a moment of confusion at the elder's expression.

"What are you doing?!" demanded Erik, breaking Peter out of his thoughts. Instantly, the confusion melted away by anger when Peter remembered what he was doing and where he was.

"What are you doing, man?! Are you crazy?! Oh man, you said you knew crazy at the Pentagon is this what you meant-"

"I am uniting a brotherhood of mutants, destroying our fear and stopping humans from killing us so that we may become the superior species in which we are." interrupted Erik, eyebrows furrowed.

"What about mutants with human families, huh?! They don't want their families killed because of, like, who they are! That's why they aren't ready to go out of hiding! And they don't want to have, like, mutants kill their families when they revolt! Unless maybe their family sucks or something I guess that could happen, you know, I mean not all families are accepting-" Peter argued desperately, thinking of his mother and his little human sister Lorna.

"We're not killing  _all_  humans, just people who especially hate mutants or people like Trask and the president." Erik rolled his eyes, then paled a little as a thought occurred to him. "Wait, you have a human family?!" Peter panicked a little.

"Th-that's none of you're business and has nothing to do with you!" Peter yelled. "And it doesn't matter anyway because I'll stop you and that's what matters right now!" Erik smirked suddenly with a twitch of his gloved fingers, and Peter's foot was caught in metal from the ground-  _huh, I didn't realize we were going down, I was too busy ranting I guess. I can't believe I almost told Erik about my family. Would he hunt them down? I mean, my mom's a nurse and so she might count as a government person like Trask or the president... I should finish this up fast before my mom gets called in to help people! I gotta get a move on and- OH WAIT NO!_  and Peter was stuck! The flashy mutant yanked at his leg in a mix of disbelief and anger. The drama queen mutant straightened.

"Actually, you won't be stopping me," said Erik smugly, and he turned back to the White House and the cameras while Peter struggled. Erik narrowed his eyes in concentration and held out his hand, presumably searching for the president and Trask.

Peter snarled in frustration and gave a harder yank. Without turning his head, Erik stuck out his other hand and bent metal around Peter's other foot. Then he turned back to the government building and ignored Peter.

Peter shouted at him, and he didn't even react. Not even to the cuss words! Yes, he was absolutely ignoring Peter, which only irritated the silver speedster more. He gave another fruitless tug as he watched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my goodness I am so sorry guys  
> Me: I'm going to update every day!  
> My Saturdays and Sundays, filled with activities and in general a busy schedule: Allow Us To Introduce Ourselves


	7. Erik had a plan (past tense, had)

Erik had a plan. Past tense. Had. No longer was the plan available.

But he had one. It was simple. Control the Sentinels, kill Nixon, kill Trask, maybe some other humans there who supported this complete bull, create a brotherhood of mutants, kill more humans, create mutant superiority, it was perfect. A perfect plan!

He just hadn't planned on his son showing up, sending a right hook to his face (he didn't think of Peter as a puncher, more of a runner, which would be better, maybe he would stay alive longer, imagine if he had Peter's powers, man, also Peter packed a terrible punch, he should teach Peter how to punch properly-) and the boy began to fall (at normal speed, thank God for controlling these sort of things- and how did he get up here?!)

Erik panicked. He ignored the falling stadium since he was going to drop that anyway. He didn't even try to grab it with his powers, instead, he focused them on Peter, desperately searching for any metal on him.

Goggles, his watch (...okay...? Erik guessed it was probably for figuring out how to return time to normal speed? That would be useful for Peter, wouldn't it?) His tool belt (Erik could feel so much metal in his belt, he felt so relieved- WAS THERE SERIOUSLY A WALKMAN IN PETER'S BELT?! Erik could see headphones, did his son take nothing seriously?! Was he trying to save the president while listening to music?!) 

Erik was so incredibly thankful that Peter was a metal-wearing sort-of guy, even though his taste in fashion was horrible and Erik was certain that everything he was wearing had been stolen. Erik held out an arm and halted Peter's fall, and for extra measures, he sent a chunk of metal to wrap itself around Peter's chest as fast as it could. Peter looked confused for a second, and Erik realized that his emotions were probably showing because  _his stupid son that he barely knew but loved so so much was risking his life to do stupid things, why was he even here?! (He had a son, he still couldn't believe it. A SON.)_  

"What are you doing?!" Erik demanded quickly, saying the words so loudly it was as if he were shouting in anger, which he wasn't, it was fear, because he struggling to control of his emotions, which were running rampant. Peter was also pulled on track, and his face morphed into a little rage storm and Peter began to shout at him. Peter looked like Erik's son when he looked angry. That notion actually, it kind of... upset Erik. Erik half paid attention to what Peter was saying while ranted, casually handing out his automatic response. He was thinking hard. Peter had ruined his plans, so now he either had to improvise, which never ended well, or he could stop or trap his son, then he could continue his original plan, which had the potential to end well. He could probably grab some metal and trap his feet, which could stop him... He slowly lowered the two to the ground, but almost lost his concentration when Peter mentioned human families.  _Peter had a family?! Was Magda alive?!_

 _"_ I'll stop you!" shouted Peter, and Erik transitioned the metal from the speedster's chest to one of his feet, and trapped him with a flick of his fingers. He smirked, straightened his spine, haha _, you're safe. You can't get hurt and I can kill humans._

"No, you won't" He snarked, and turned with a small show of drama while he pretended to ignore Peter struggling. He eyed the White House and held out his hand, searching for the metal room he knew would be where the president was; the bomb shelter. Out of the corner of his eye, he sensed Peter give an extra hard super speed yank and sensed the metal shift, so he covered both feet and after checking if it was secure, he truly ignored the silver mutant. He pulled out the metal room, vaguely noting that Peter was shouting profanity at him as if it would make a difference. _That boy had a mouth on him. He wouldn't have if Erik had raised him,_ Erik thought, and then pushed that thought away because that was dangerous ground to tread right now. Erik ripped away the wall and turned on the cameras. 

"You built these weapons to destroy us," Erik said, spreading his arms out. The humans watched him in mute terror. "Why? Because you are afraid of our gifts! Because we are different. Humanity has always feared that which is different." Erik tried to pound that lesson into their heads, but he knew it would be impossible for humanity to change their nature. He drew himself up. "Well, I'm here to tell you, to tell the world, you're right to fear us!" he snarled, and he saw Peter pause his struggling out of the corner of his eye, shocked. "We are the future! We are the ones who will inherit this earth!" He pointed at the ground viciously, and Peter yanked against the metal again, but without any results. "And anyone who stands in our way will suffer the same fate as these men you see before you!" Erik turned to the cameras.

"Erik, no!" Shouted Hank, turning blue as he ran towards him with Logan in tow, and Charles nowhere in sight. Erik turned and nodded to the Sentinels nearby.

"Do as you were made to," he said simply, and the Sentinels stomped toward Beast.

 _Where is Charles?_ he wondered, and felt for his wheelchair that he knew was here somewhere... He found it until a fallen piece of metal.  _Trapped, but safe and out of the way. He won't be interfering._

"Today was meant to be a display of your power. Instead, I give you a glimpse of the devastation my race can unleash upon yours!" He shouted, drama queen personality up to 100%. "Let this be a warning to the world. And to my mutant brothers and sisters out there, I say this: no more hiding. No more suffering. You have lived in the shadows in shame and fear for too long." Erik paused for a breath and then continued, tone gentle. "Come out. Join me. Fight together in a brotherhood of our kind!" 

"That's enough! That's enough!" a voice shouted, and to Erik's surprise, the president shouldered his way through. He turned to Erik after shaking another hand from a guard off of him. "Kill me, but let everyone else here live." Erik frowned at president Nixon's selfless act.

Erik's plan wasn't to kill  _just_  the president, it was to destroy the government and create a world where mutants prospered and ruled like their superior species was supposed to.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," Erik stated softly, watching Nixon's expression. "I'm going to have to kill all of you, so mutants can be safe." He turned to the cameras for a second. "A new tomorrow, that starts today!" Then he started to turn back to the president.

Nixon's arm shot up, holding a plastic gun.  **BANG!**  Pain flashed through Erik's neck, and he stumbled backward. He dimly registered Peter letting out a shout of shock. He gently touched his neck with his fingers, and he pulled them back red. It was just a flesh wound, thankfully, but he knew he would have to take care of it in the next hour or so. He caught a hint of blue out of the corner of his eye and glanced towards the president. Raven was emotionlessly standing where Nixon had been, gun down.

"I trained you to shoot better than that," Erik said, testing for Mystique's intent.

"I know," Raven replied, and finally an emotion crossed her face. Triumph.  _Why-?_

Suddenly, Erik couldn't tell up from down or left from right, he was flying, feeling pain.  _Punch punch punch punch punch_  and it was over as soon as it started, but he was lying on the ground and Peter was standing over him.

"You idiot you're just going to fail and make mutant's lives worse and you said you were going to kill all of them and what if they didn't want this to happen or mutants die because of this and what if they have mutant children, huh?!" Peter shouted angrily, and yup, Peter's Erik was showing.  _Raven made him lose his concentration, and therefore concentration on the metal holding Peter back, so he must have broken free._

Then Raven pushed past him and slipped off Erik's helmet and Erik felt a flash of fear as she casually said, "He's all yours, Charles." as she walked away but then Erik couldn't feel anything and he robotically stood up and turned towards Charles, stuck out his hand, and freed Charles. As Hank helped the telepathic mutant up, Erik was released from his mental grasp and took a step back, snatched up his helmet again and turned to face Charles and Hank.

"You know what they'll do to me, Charles," Erik said simply.

"I know," Charles said, a small hint of sadness in his eyes. "Goodbye, old friend."

"Goodbye, old friend," returned Erik and he raised his arms, ready to float away but then Peter was standing in front of him, closer than Charles, looking nervous and awkward.

"Dude, you're like a terrorist and all, and you always take everything to, like, the max,  but you're sort of cool and I guess your intentions are not total crap, you know? So I guess, like, I'll help you out if you get caught, you know? Speed you out of there, if you catch my drift." Peter said quickly yet solemnly, his eyes glimmering with kindness, trust, and hope.

Erik could only swallow and nod.  _Where did he get such kindness and hope? Certainly not from me. My son is a good man, and make no mistake, I will see him again._ As he began to hover away, he thought _And I hope he doesn't use so much slang next time we meet._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: hahahah lets not update every day  
> also me: I CRAVE THEIR COMMENTS, THEY ARE FUEL FOR EXISTENCE  
> me, updating: haha whoops


	8. Peter and the aftermath (its not pretty)

Peter hid in his house. Since Charles and Erik and the others all disappeared, it felt like he was the only one who had to deal with the aftermath. And the aftermath was not pretty. Luckily, no one had visited his house yet, so Peter hoped the cameras hadn't caught too much of his face.

However, it was only the next day, so Peter's hopes weren't  _too_  high. He leaned back and remembered yesterday.

_Peter watched Erik leave. He knew the others had not heard what he had told the metal controlling mutant. Erik had a belie and tried to act upon it, so Peter supposed he wasn't, like, evil or anything._

_No one would kill anyone today. And if that made Peter a loser, so be it. Because he tried to stop a person who was going to kill the president on national television, and so Peter was the boss._

_Peter grinned at Charles and did what he did best: run. He ran back home, took off his shoes and lurked in the kitchen for a moment before stepping into the living room casually._

_"'Sup, little bug." he greeted Lorna, who squealed and ran over to hug him. He glanced at his mother, who looked as if she had been crying. She glanced wordlessly at him and then left the room without another sound. Weird._

Anyways Peter is nervous because even though nothing happened yesterday, it doesn't mean nothing will happen today and his mom is acting a bit weird.

There was a knock from upstairs, and Peter paused from his place downstairs in his room, lifting his head off of the couch he was lounging on. The footsteps leading down the stairs revealed to be his mother.

"Hey Mom," he said apprehensively. She looked at him for a moment wearily.

"Peter, I have something to tell you." he sat up quickly, squashing the small bit of panic inside of himself, and thought reasonably,  _I should probably tell her why I did that yesterday. I should tell her it was my fault. I broke Erik out._

"I have something to tell you too," he admitted.

"Can I go first? Then you can talk," his mother said a bit snappily. Then she sighed. "I knew the man on the live television at the White House, Peter. The metal-controlling man."

"Erik? Yeah I thought so I mean you mentioned you knew a guy who could control metal once and I kind of assumed that it was Erik so I was right okay that makes things a bit less awkward I suppose-" Peter rattled off.

"Who is Erik?" his mother cut him off, looking confused. "Is that what he's calling himself now? How did you find out that? Peter?" her voice rose in volume near the end when she said his name, and Peter winced.

"Umm, I'll tell you afterward. Sorry for interrupting. Continue?" he said, in a weak attempt to distract her.

"PETER?" Mrs. Maximoff prompted louder.

He sighed regretfully. "Do you remember those three guys who said they were cops who came over, like, three days ago? They weren't cops, they were mutants like me. The guy in the plaid shirt and the nerdy glasses can turn into like a blue furry guy which looks nothing like him and that's so cool isn't it like you would think is mutation is to be super smart or something and then the homeless-looking guy with the long hair I didn't find out why his mutation is, but not super strength because he got trapped underneath that fallen tower thing and if he had super strength he would have gotten himself out I suppose except he was in a wheelchair when I was there like what the heck?! When did that happen?! He was walking fine when he visited us and oh right they visited us and the last guy he disappeared during the battle but he was the one with the leather jacket and he had these cool bone claws but they were also kind of disgusting like they came out of his hands. I wonder if they hurt when they come out and if they do why doesn't he bleed? Does he have healing powers too like how cool could you get?! Anyways right so mutants at our house pretending to be cops but they wanted me to break a guy out of the Pentagon like how did your friend there like did he see or say too much? And-"

"Stop, stop, stop." Mrs. Maximoff shook her head. "THE PENTAGON PETER?! Didn't you think that maybe that man was there for a reason?!"

"I was bored!" Peter protested, then realized that it sounded pretty bad, so he added, "and besides I thought you might know the guy because he could control metal and you said you once knew a guy who could do that. When I got him out I asked him, but he didn't reply because then the homeless-looking guy Charles or something punched him in the face and I just realized he didn't even bruise so that guys superpower mutation isn't super strength and yeah he didn't respond." His mother turned white as a sheet. "I didn't think that the guy was crazy or that he would do anything like what he did on the television! And I tried to stop him didn't I?! But the others fought him so they must've thought he was going to help him and be cool too! So I wasn't the only one who made a mistake and I'm sorry Mom!" Peter panicked.

There was a long moment of silence.

Then his mother sighed. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Peter stared at the floor, unable to meet her eyes.

"It's my turn to tell you my story," Magda said at last. "I didn't know him as Erik. I knew him as Magnus. Magnus Eisenhardt. He was an honest hard-working man and like me, he was in the Holocaust. I was a gypsy, he was a Jew-"

"What? The Holocaust-?"

"PETER! DO NOT INTERRUPT!" his mother shouted. "It's hard enough already to tell you this."

"Sorry," Peter mumbled.

"Anyways, I saw him a few times during the Holocaust." Magda continued. "By some miracle, we both survived. We found each other and got married. We started a beautiful life in Poland. And then I had-"

"Wait is he-?!" Peter interrupted in shock, but his mother cut him off.

"I SAID NO INTERRUPTING! IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH!" She took another deep breath. "Then we had a daughter. Her name was Anya. She was a beautiful little girl, and unlike her father, she was human. I knew about Erik's abilities and we did worry, but she was completely normal and we lived a great life. But then one day someone found out about Erik's abilities and then they came after us. There was a great mob outside our door and I told Anya to hide in her bedroom and then I went outside to go find Erik. I ran through the forest and we ran into each other and I told him about the mob. That is when we smelled the smoke." Peter took a sharp breath in. "They had set fire to our house, and Anya was inside. We both ran to the fire and tried to get in and save our daughter, but then the police who were there knocked me out. When I came to, they were all dead and Erik was crying. When I asked him what he had done..."

\------

_Erik turned towards her, a spark of disbelief in his eyes. "Magda!"_

_She stood shakily and stared around her in horror. "Erik, what have you done?!"_

_Erik glanced around indifferently. "They wouldn't let me save our daughter, they fought me. Magda, they killed Anya! I had to kill them! Punish them for their crimes!" With rage in his eyes, he kicked one of the dead bodies. Magda stepped away from him in horror and fear and at his lack of respect for the dead. He glanced up at her movement, and his eyes filled with uncertainty. "Magda? What are you doing? We have to go and find a new place to live, together!"_

_"Together?!" She lashed out in fear. "You killed these men, Erik! You... You're..."_

_"Magda... I would never hurt you-"_

_"YOU'RE A MONSTER!" She shrieked, and he stopped, his face betraying his emotions of shock, surprise, confusion, and hurt. She found the strength to move and she turned and ran away through the forest without a single second thought._

_\------_

"It was a month later when I moved to America, a place I thought he would never follow me to, that I found out I was pregnant with you. I named you Pietro, after Magnus'-  **Erik's**  father, because you look more like his side of the family and we had always agreed if Anya was a boy that would've been her name." She finished and looked at Peter sadly. I called you Peter so you could have something normal because when I first saw your hair, I knew what you were. Erik's son."

Peter stumbled back in shock. He had started to suspect at the beginning of the story, but for her to finally say it made it feel more real.

He once had a sister, but she was dead. His mom knew Erik. He was Erik's son. Erik once was good and loved humans.

His mind looped over these facts over and over. Quietly his mom left the room, but Peter's head still spun.

Quietly, he sat down and began to cry.

 _At least you're not an illegitimate child,_ his brain added unhelpfully.

"There is no way this could possibly get worse," he muttered out loud and then cringed. He was definitely jinxing it.


	9. 6 Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is basically just a timeskip between DofP and XMA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've seen a few of you states that my dialogue is a Bit Not Good. I've never been good at english classes, but I guess I'm open for co-author who could help polish my chapters. I've also seen some of you question Magda's story. I haven't read the comics, this is what I've seen for most fanfictions and this is my interpretation.
> 
> Also, to that one person who keeps commenting about my fanfiction, you better know who you are, its 4 letters long and your username is what you are, if you don't like it, don't read it. It's that simple. I have half a mind to delete your comments. but at the same time, I don't care enough about what you say to even do that.
> 
> That being said, I love all the support I'm getting and I do listen to feedback. I also appreciate those of you arguing with the 4 letter word dude for me, that's nice of y'all. 
> 
> I don't have a co-author/helper/editer/anyone like that, and I'm going to keep updating, so  
> may I present  
> The Worst Chapter I Will Ever Type  
> A Special Fuck You To Dick

After Erik escapes, Peter almost expects not to see him again. Almost.

So maybe he learned how to hack into government websites to check out where they're searching for Erik and he stole the radio of some fat policeman in some higher part of the government food chain and now he's keeping an eye out for news about Erik getting captured.

 

 

The first time Erik is caught, they're loading him onto a truck and they've pointed their plastic guns at him. He can't resist unless he wants to be shot, and he can't feel much metal around him. Not enough to be useful. Erik may be in a desert in Southern California and that may be a far enough place from D.C., but he has some small hope that because he is getting captured in America, that just maybe he would-

Suddenly guards are flying everywhere and there's a hand on his neck and wind and he can't breath and then it's over. Erik is standing in a park, grass and trees and shade everywhere, nothing like the desert he was just in. His son is sprawled on a bench nearby, in his horrible silver getup and attempting to look cool. Erik smiles slightly.

"Hello again, Peter." he greets, trying to shake off the sick feeling he got from the super speed and still look pleasant. He bends over slightly and places his hands on his knees. Then Peter looks slightly nervous and replies, albeit shyly,

"Hello, Erik. You didn't expect me to forget, did you?"

Erik glanced around curiously. "Where are we?"

Peter blinked and glanced about. "I don't know. Hold on let me check-" he blurs for a second and a soft wind blows for a second. "-for a second and it looks like we are Oregon!"

Erik widens his eyes. "Oregon?"

Peter scratched his head and then the words began to tumble out, similar to the car ride from the Pentagon and Erik braces himself to figure out what his stream of words are because he wants to get to know his son.

"Sorry that we aren't anywhere near Southern California anymore but the government will probably be expecting you and if you had business there then too bad hey what kind of business would it be like evil mutant superiority stuff because wouldn't you think after the Pentagon that you should lay low and I guess being so far from Virginia is a good idea but still and you know what here-"

The boy disappears for a moment again and this time returns with wallet looking object which he tosses at Erik and he barely manages to catch it and open it. It is a passport with the name Ian McKellen and a picture of him.

"I got you a passport because I supposed that you might use one if you travel around by plane. Do you travel around by plane? Maybe not I guess I mean they have a lot of security in airports for this kind of thing, well, not evil mutant people for normal fugitives and hey no offense about calling you evil but maybe to human's eyes you are? And it doesn't matter I suppose seeing as airports and planes pretty much are made of metal you could fly a plane, couldn't you? Did you fly the plane that we drove up to after the Pentagon? Aw man that was cool although my mom got super pissed when I told her about it the day after the White House thing and then she told me more about you and how not only did she know you but I guess you lived together in Poland? Do you know anything about that? I guess what I'm trying to say is-"

Erik shakes his head and held out his hand as his mind refused to cooperate with understanding the river of words. "Woah, woah, Peter, stop. I can't keep up with what you're saying. You're speaking too fast." Peter gulped nervously. "Talk slower."

"Well..." Peter glanced down, all his insecurities about telling Erik rushing back. "I dunno, just..."

Erik huffed in sudden exasperation because  _he had been trying to bond and now all of a sudden you're going to shut up?_  "Now you're quiet? Well, if you aren't going to say anything, can you at least help me get to Washington?"

Peter gaped at him in shock. "W-What, no!"

Erik blinked first in confusion and irritation and disbelief that Peter said no growled in his mind, irritation slipping onto his features until he realized Peter's train of thought and relaxed minutely, even though he is his father, he should trust him, and if he meant D.C. then Peter should take him to D.C. anyway. But Peter didn't know that. "The state, not the capital."

Peter blinked. "Right, right." He breathed out a sigh of relief, and placed his hand on Erik's neck and ran. When he arrived in Washington, he ran back to his home across the U.S without waiting for Erik to say anything because he really didn't expect it to be so hard to tell him but now it is and he feels so nervous.

Erik blinked in surprise when he found himself alone in Washington, son nowhere in sight.

 

\--------------------time skip-----------------

 

Erik smirked softly to himself as he examined his plane ticket for Italy. He rounded around the corner and then, with thoughts of blending into a beautiful city, he-

crashed into a police officer. Startled, Erik stumbled. The policeman, probably no older than 25, steadied him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right sir, I'm so sorry I-" They froze upon seeing Erik's face. "H-Hey, you're the guy who was all over the news! You're that mutant terrorist!" He fumbled with his gun, which to Erik's surprise and annoyance, was plastic.  _Were plastic guns going to be a mandatory thing now? H_ e thought irritably to himself as he used metal from the policeman's badge to throw them off balance and then turned and sprinted down a nearby alley. He lurked in a dark corner, internally cursing. If he was identified now, the government would become suspicious. Plane flights would be searched, HIS plane flight would be searched. Security at the check-point would be tighter. He would be caught.

He cursed again, this time in Polish at the sound of sirens.  _I've stayed here too long._

"I have no clue what you just said, dude. If you were trying to ask for my help, well, sup Erik." said a voice behind him. Erik whirled around in surprise, immediately acting on instinct and locating metal on the person behind him, most likely an attacker, and pulling them off the ground. 

"Woah, dude, you're so twitchy. I mean, I've got no right to complain, though. My mom and my teachers complain about my inability to sit still all the time. Anyways, I've got a police radio scanner thing, and they started talking about you. What are those things called? I wonder if they know I have one. I mean, the policeman I stole it from seemed lazy and I don't even know if he's noticed that it's missing yet. So, do you need help, dude? Because then you have to let me down. I let you pick me up on purpose though, okay? I didn't want you to freak out more. Was that even a good idea? I don't know even you're like, the only guy I've ever met who is cool to hang out with or needs my help besides my little sister, but it's pretty much my duty to help her and occasionally babysit her although my mom usually doesn't trust me with that and I think that she thinks that I'll end up forgetting she's there or that I'm taking care of her or something. Maybe she thinks I'll bring her along when I steal something? I guess she might think that. It would be a little stupid, wouldn't it? But then she wouldn't be out of sight and I could take care of her, even though I would be back at the house before she even realized I was gone. But she's young I don't know if that would bother her or something. But making her my little accomplice would be so cool, don't you think?" chattered Peter, with his silver jacket.

Erik relaxed a bit and lowered his hand, setting his son safely on the ground before releasing the speedster. Peter made a show out of brushing imaginary dust off his jacket before grinning at Erik.

"Hello, Peter," returned Erik with an inward smile, happy to see the irritating teenager. He glanced over Peter's shoulder and noticed police cars. "I could use a little help," he admitted, suddenly feeling a tad uncomfortable for admitting what he perceived to be a weakness, even if it was to his son. Peter only laughed.

"No problem dude. I mean, that's the point of what I'm doing here, right?" Peter cleared his throat, looking a tad shy. "Is... is there any place, in general, you would like to be? I'm sorry about taking you so far last time and then just sort of leaving you there." Erik blinked, amazed by his thoughtfulness and remembering his plane ticket.

"Actually, yes." he brought out his plane ticket, suddenly wondering if Peter could carry him that far. "Is Italy too much of a problem?" Peter snorted.

"Nowhere is a problem. I regularly run around the world, just taking in the sights. Not necessarily the sounds though. Don't stay long enough for conversation. Have you ever been to Antarctica? It's-"

'Thanks," interrupted Erik. "Umm, quickly please?" he tilted his head toward the police running towards them.

Peter nodded. "Right." He placed his hand on Erik's neck, and this time Erik could control his internal flinch. Everything blurred for a moment, and Erik felt great pressure and winds in his face, and then he and Peter were standing in a field, presumably in Italy. Erik felt a wave of amazement and pride in his son and his ability.

Peter pulled his hand away and glanced around. "You didn't say where in Italy and I assumed that people wouldn't want to see two strangers appear out of nowhere." He explained awkwardly, thinking about how much his mother would freak out whenever he tried to use his powers in public when he was little.

Erik's face darkened as well, thinking of Anya's death and how it was caused by suspicious and afraid humans who had caught a glimpse of Erik's powers at work. A dark silence descended on the two until Peter cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Umm,... well, I guess... see you later, old man," he said to disguise the fact that his head was screaming at him, telling him that _he must have said something wrong, idiot, Erik's face says it all, you had a chance to tell him that he's your dad and you've ruined it. And old man? Old man?! Erik wasn't old and even if that is what some people call their fathers, Erik doesn't know, stupid stupid, what was the point of calling him that he has to leave now before Erik notices and asks about it got to get away-_  he disappeared immediately and silently in a burst of super speed.

Erik blinked processing the words and turned his head slightly away so hide the small smile that crept across his face despite his best efforts. His thoughts had switched from depressed to a mix of relief and happiness.  _Old man. Peter called him an old man. Not only was it amusing because Erik wasn't old, but also Erik felt happy and touched that Peter called him that because that was a term of affection for father figures, wasn't it? Peter viewed him as a father figure, which was good, considering Erik was his father. Not that Peter knew._  He turned back to Peter with a mental reminder to say goodbye before he leaves, only to lift an eyebrow in surprise. Peter had gone, without a single mark to show he had been there or a single noise of breeze of wind. Erik was honestly surprised by how painful the disappointment of Peter not waiting for him to say goodbye was. He blinked, and went on his way, knowing that he would see Peter again because  _even if he wasn't dumb, he could still get caught again, and even if he didn't get caught again, he had plans to find the silver speeding mutant._

"Wait, where am I?" Erik exclaimed to himself, looking around.

____________________time skip_______________________________________________________________________

 

Erik grinned openly for a moment as the wind whirled around again and policemen were sent flying. 

"Keep me in this country, Peter," he said teasingly before a hand landed by his neck.

When the wind died down and the scenery changed, Peter grinned back. "No problem, although it is so much more boring then having to figure out how to get back, isn't it?" 

"That's alright with me," Erik replied, examining his son. The boy wasn't in his normal suit, this time in a yellow and blue shirt with the sleeves ending at his elbows and his trademark silver jacket tied rather sloppily around his waist, his goggles ever so slightly crooked. He had been in a rush. "I thought you were only going to save me in America, Peter," he continued to tease instead of pointing out the obvious, toning down the outward grin with a small spark of curiosity while happy to see the mutant. "Poland is quite far, wouldn't you say?" 

Peter scuffed the ground with his shoe, his movements almost to fast for Erik's eyes to register. "Well, what can I say? I haven't been to Poland, and this was just an excellent excuse. I was bored anyway, and just running around."  _Lies._  Erik kept his mouth shut, allowing his son to save his pride from this bonding (which could be seen awkward if you didn't know you were related, and he did not want Peter to feel awkward). It would already be awkward enough if he tells his son who he is.

In fact, Erik was starting to not want to tell Peter.

Erik had met a lovely woman in Poland by the name of Marya, and they had been going out and he had been contemplating on marrying her, and that would be strange for Peter, and Magda, if she was alive, (and Erik hoped so because then Peter could have at least one family member) and for poor Marya, if he said anything. And then there was the fact that Peter's lack of knowledge seemed to be keeping him safe. The longer they hung out, the more potential there was for Peter to be injured, or killed, just like his parents and Madga and Anya.

Marya was nice, and for now, he could deal if she got injured, maybe. hopefully, as long as he didn't get too attached. But Peter? Never.

So he was planning in starting a new life without Peter.

Joking and laughing with Peter for several minutes, he said his goodbyes.

"It's been nice, Peter. I won't be found by any policemen soon, but I do hope I'll see you again. I'll miss you." He impulsively hugged the confused young man, taking in as many details as he could because he wasn't planning on seeing the boy soon, or quite possibly ever again.

Peter looked confused but nodded. "Cool, man? See you whenever. Don't know why you're hugging me, old man, because you're not that old if that's what you're thinking. Bye, Erik." and he disappeared in a soft breeze that was barely noticeable.

Erik waited until he was completely positive Peter was gone before he allowed a tear to fall because this was his son, and while this would keep him safe, he wouldn't ever see him again.


	10. Erik's world ends (again)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I looked at IMBD's quotes for X-Men apocalypse and I found what could be the most upsetting yet funniest quote ever
> 
>  
> 
> Apocalypse: [catches Quicksilver] Foolish child.
> 
> [breaks his leg]
> 
>  
> 
> Because its so undramatic i dont know how to explain this

If Erik could turn back time, he would let that human die. But here he was, shaking and sobbing, clinging to the dead bodies of his wife and child.

" _Not my babies,"_  he cried softly, " _Please,_  not my babies." He hugged his daughter closer, and her necklace swung forward, catching Erik's attention. He stared at it, remembering.

_"This belonged to my mother, and then me, and now it belongs to you. Look, it has a picture of your grandparents in it." Erik said, opening the locket hanging on the chain and showing it to Nina, his daughter. She smiled at the picture and then glanced up at Erik, a question in her eyes._

_"What happened to them, your Mama and Papa?" she asked, glancing at the picture. Erik swallowed and paused, thinking of an appropriate answer. He didn't want to think about or tell his daughter about the horrors of concentration camps. He also did not want to give her an answer with too much detail to keep her up all night._

_"They were taken away from me," he settled on after a brief pause. The girl looked up at him with wide eyes. "But they are now here, with you. Right here." he added, smoothly sliding the necklace onto the girl and poking her. She kept staring at him with wide eyes._

_"Is someone going to take you away too, Papa?" she asked fearfully, and Erik's heart twisted._

_"No," he said, desperate to assure her. "Never." she seemed to calm down and laid her head back onto her pillow._

_"Sing to me again?" she asked, and Erik couldn't help but comply._

Erik wasn't taken from his daughter. She was taken from him. His grip tightened and he felt the metal hum in the palm of his hand and he could sense where the soldiers were out of the corner of his eye, watching him nervously. He felt all his emotions churning in despair and anger and grief and he couldn't handle it, his family was taken away from him again,  _again,_  how could someone handle that because he couldn't. He knew what he had to do.

He opened his hand and the necklace flew out.

He listened to the sound of bodies hitting the floor, knowing that  _it was their fault, they had to pay._  He lowered his family to the ground gently and grabbed the necklace again. He stared at the blood on the necklace and blinked.

 _He had tried to act like one of them, a human, he tried for happiness. And it had ended just the same way as it always did, with him killing someone, with him wanting revenge, with just more dead humans, never being happy, never getting what he wanted, never fitting in. Just killing._  The anger disappeared for the moment and he turned and looked around at the desolation caused by humans and hisself in the forest. Hopelessness and pain filled him and he sank to his knees.

"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT FROM ME?!" he screamed in anguish at the sky, screaming to whatever was up there, controlling his life, making him miserable. A terrible question occurred to him and he glanced down in horror and helplessness. "IS ThiS what I Am?" he said, voice cracking. Tears streaming down his cheeks, and he repeated the last question in despair. "Is this who I am?" He burst into tears again and stayed for a long time. He finally rose to his knees, knowing that he had to go. He glanced up, noticing lights in the distance. Searchlights. He moved without thinking, rushing away. It was only when he reached far enough away that he realized he hadn't buried his family, and grief welled up again, but he forced it to the side in anger as he realized that he had ran back to the warehouse  that he worked at.  _They saw me, or at least thought they did, use metal to save one of their insolent puny lives. And they notified the police. They betrayed me. They killed my family. They have to pay. My Nina. They killed my Nina. They want to see what I can do? I'll show them firsthand._

 

_-time skip-_

Erik approached the warehouse again the next morning, after everyone else had entered. He walked into the building, slamming the doors shut with his powers, not caring that he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, or that he looked like he slept outside, which he had because the authorities had taken over his house.

He stood there, staring almost blankly ahead in a mix of anger and grief, red around his eyes signifying that he had been crying more than sleeping. He froze the machines that the other workers were using and waited until all of their fearful eyes were on him. The sound of metalworking and chatter died almost immediately, he sensed with a detached satisfaction.

"Some of you spoke to the police... About what your believed you witnessed here yesterday. You want to know my past? Know who I am? See what I can do? I'll show you. Think about the person you love most in your life. Your wife. Mother. Daughter. Now that person will know what it is to lose someone they love. And live with that pain. - Forever." he stated to no one in particular.

One of the workers stepped forward. "Henryk, please!" he begged. "Don't do this!"

Erik shook his head slightly. "My name isn't Henryk. My name is Magneto." He held out his arm, and purple light shone behind him and if it was possible, it became even quieter. Erik turned, internally fuming. Who dared to try to stop him from killing these men?

A large, all blue mutant stood there, flanked by a metal-winged angel with curled blond hair, a girl with black and purple hair, and a girl with a white mohawk dressed in silver.

"Who the **** are you?" he demanded rudely.

The blue mutant stepped forward, signifying him as leader. "Your destiny." he replied.

Erik frowned. "You will not stop me from killing these men." The mystery mutant glanced over at the workers and with a bored expression, waved his arm. The sound of muffled shrieks sliced through the air and were silenced as soon as they appeared. Erik turned to see the men trapped in the ground, dead. He felt a momentary flash of anger that it wasn't him who killed them, but he supposed either way they died and he had gotten his revenge. At least they weren't here to stop him. He turned back towards the mutants.

"I'm not here for them. I'm here for you." the mutant said.

"What do you want?" he asked, his hostility down a notch.

"Come and see," the mutant leader replied, ever mysterious, turning his back to Magneto. The others followed suit. Erik stood still for a moment, confused. The angel turned his head back towards Erik, a small smirk on his face. He didn't seem particularly bloodthirsty, Erik supposed. They probably weren't here to kill him. So he followed them into their purple teleportation magic.

When it faded away, they standing outside rundown buildings. The blue mutant turned to Erik. "This is where your power was born. And this is where your people were slaughtered."

Erik glanced around in disbelief at their destination. Auschwitz. Where he had lost his family the first time.

"It was a bad idea to bring me here," he warned.

"Why? Are you afraid to be here? You can't escape it, Erik." the mutant replied, and Erik turned towards him, irritated.

"Who are you?"

"Elohim, Pushan, Ra - I've been called many names over many lifetimes. I am born of death. I was there to spark and fan the flame of man's awakening, to spin the wheel of civilization. And when the forest would grow rank and needed clearing for new growth, I was there to set it ablaze." the mutant said vaguely, moving his hands in a cryptic movement. Erik stared around him.

"Where were you when my father and mother were slaughtered in this place?" he demanded.

"Asleep. Trapped in darkness. I was not there for you, my son, but I am here now. You don't know your own strength but I do. Reach down. Feel the metal in the ground. Reach. As deep as you can. You'll find you have the power to move the very Earth itself." the mutant said, reaching over and moving Erik's hand down. Erik complied, letting his grief be used to at least listen to this strange mutant. He remembered Charles' advice, and thought of some happiness in his life.

Erik felt into the earth and was amazed to see that the strange mutant was correct, he then proceeded to tear Auschwitz apart in sudden grief and power.

"EVERYTHING THEY'VE BUILT, WILL FALL! AND FROM THE ASHES OF THEIR WORLD, WE'LL BUILD A BETTER ONE!" shouted the mutant, but Erik didn't care. he had power to stop people from hurting everyone he loved. Including Peter. But Erik hesitated. Peter had lived for as long as he had because Erik had not been around. He had really been pushing his luck before. And news of his disaster in Poland had probably already reached Peter. How would Peter react? Would Peter look at him differently? Call him a monster? If Erik told him the truth, would Peter reject him? Uncertainty filled his mind, and he decided to leave Peter be. At least for now.

Erik was dumb for believing he could survive peacefully with humans. He had tried to change, live alongside with them, but the world hadn't changed or tried. And now his world had ended, but this mutant was offering him a new world. And he took it. 


	11. Charles' world ends (and it was going so well) pt.1

Charles' world ended, and he had seriously not been expecting it. It had been going so well. He had his own school, he had students, he had accepted that he would be in his wheelchair for the remainder of his life, and he had Hank by his side. He was wanted, appreciated, and loved. He had almost everything he could ever want or need.

Sure, he still missed Raven and Erik, even if he wouldn't admit it to the latter, but life was going well.

And then Jean had her nightmare.

Earlier that day, Charles had been cheerfully introduced to someone who would later become part of the X-Men, a group of mutants that Logan showed him ten years ago. He had tried to search for all of them, and invite them to his mansion, but he had only found Jean. Even though he didn't see Peter in Logan's dream, and he would be ten years older than the rest, he sent Peter and invitation as well. The speedster had never replied, and a quick look on Cerebro showed that the mutant was simply to worked up to even consider going outside, so Charles had decided to give Peter his space. In all honesty, Charles had completely forgotten about him as the time went by because he was searching for the X-Men. He had already met Jean, technically Logan, although he knew he would meet him again, and today he was introduced to Scott. The sixteen year old boy was conveniently Alex's younger brother, which laser-like eyes. Charles had been in a good mood. Until later that night, Hank woke Charles and helped him into his wheelchair.

"She's doing it again," vaguely explained Hank, but Charles knew what the mousey haired man meant.

As they made their way down to Jean's bedroom, Charles soothed the other kids and ushered them back to bed. As he entered the room, Charles felt a slap of heat hit his face. He noticed that the beautiful paintings on the walls were actually hissing and bubbling. The smell of smoke was in the air, and the wallpaper curled. He rolled toward the side of Jean's bed.

"I've never seen her like this," worried Hank.

"Well, I do. Don't let any of the children come this way." Charles replied brusquely. He lifted his fingers to his forehead and nudged Jean's consciousness.

"Jean?" he said out loud, focusing in on her mind. "Jean, wake up."

Her mind retaliated, and Charles was assaulted by images of fire and destruction. He frowned more, reaching deeper into her mind as he was bombarded by flames and bodies. For a moment, a blue-purple figure stood there, his arms in the air are destruction raged, a sense of complete god-like power and triumph was acknowledged, but the image dissipated before Charles could think about it.

"JEAN!" he shouted louder, struggling. His voice rose steadily in volume until he sensed Jean wake suddenly. The room instantly returned to room temperature, and the walls stopped steaming.

Jean gazed at him with wide eyes, breathing heavily as she woke up from her nightmare.

"I... I saw the end of the world. I could feel all this death..." she began, sounding upset, and Charles shushed her.

 **"** Nope, it was just a dream-" he started to sooth her, pushing aside his own shaken feelings from Jean's nightmare.

"But it felt real!" she interjected, sitting up, her

"I know. Your mind is the most powerful I've ever seen. It can convince itself of anything-" He continued, momentarily reflecting on the Wolverine's memories of Jean and her powers.

"No, it's not just a mind reading or a telekinesis, it's something else. Some... dark power inside and it's growing, like a fire." Jean sighed, shoulders drooping as she gazed at the professor with a knowing look."I thought I was getting better." she mumbled.

" You are. You will. You just have to be patient." immediately soothed Charles in a wave of protectiveness.

"No. No! You don't know what it's like to be afraid to shut your eyes! To be trapped inside your own head!"Jean's voice rose with each words as she pressed the palms of her hands against the sides of her head, and Charles inwardly sighed. He smiled gently, because he truly understood how she felt, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, but I think I do." he said sympathetically, and Jean looked up, realization flickering in her eyes as Charles continued. "It wasn't so long ago, that I was plagued by voices of myself. All their suffering. All their pain. Their secrets." He thinks briefly of Erik, and his helmet, before pushing the thought away.

"I'm afraid one day I am going to hurt someone." whispered Jean fearfully, and Charles remembered again Logan's world, and Jean's nightmare. He pushed it back.  _That is not my future. Not our future. Not our pain. I am changing our world._

"Lie back." he said instead, nudging her until she lied down. "Everyone fears that which they do not understand. You will learn to control your powers." Jean frowned slightly, but Charles continued. "And when you do, you'll have nothing to fear." He turned and wheeled out f her bedroom with a simple 'goodnight'.

Charles waited until they left the student's dorms before he spoke to Hank. "Her nightmares were different this time."

Hank hummed thoughtfully, drawing Charles' interest. "Well, it could have count for something I saw while I was in my lab earlier. There was some kind of tremor. Like an energy surge. I picked it up on one of my meters." Charles lifted his head up.

"You're saying that Jean created it?" the telepath felt a spike of fear and worry. 

"No, I'm saying something else did. Maybe she was reacting to it, I don't know. But, the Epicenter was half way around the world." Hank replied, eyebrows furrowing in thought.

"Half way around the world?" Charles frowned. An earthquake on the other side of the world should not have affected them here. So it must have been no ordinary earthquake.

 Hank nodded. "Yeah. That's why I was hoping you could take a look. Let's see what we can find."

Charles and Hank made their way to Cerebro without a word, perfectly in sync. Charles wheeled his chair as fast as he could. Charles quickly did a sweep of the mansion to check all the students were asleep before he slid on the helmet and began to look around.

"The source came from Cairo. I'll put in the coordinates." Hank said as he fiddled with the machine, and Charles found himself focusing on Cairo, Egypt. A familiar woman with short brown hair was standing outside, out of breath, with racing thoughts. Charles found himself smiling fondly at the sight of her. He never thought he would see this particular woman again.

Hank leaned forward. "What? What is it?" 

"It's her." Charles murmured.

 "Who?"

"Moira." Charles eyed his old friend fondly. It had been years since he had seen her, since he wiped her mind of any knowledge of mutants.

"What?" Hank leaned forward to look at Charles' face in confusion and shock. "Moira MacTaggert?!"

"Mm-hm," hummed Charles in confirmation, and Hank shook his head in confusion and frustration. 

"And give me the details?" he asked.

"Well, she looks amazing. She's barely aged a day." Charles admired as he watched her from his mind's eye. It had been so long since Cuba, and she looked vibrant and determined as ever.

"No. I meant..." Hank huffed in exasperation and annoyance. "What is she doing there? What's the CIA doing with this?"

 _Oh. Of course._  Charles focused in, feeling a bit foolish and reported, "She's going back to Langley to deliver a report. I'm going to go there, see if she knows something about the tremor."

"You'll wind up seeing Moira." summarized Hank knowingly with the style of the annoyed third wheel. 

"I want to go check her out, check out... the situation." Charles winced.

"Moira MacTaggert." said Hank in wonder as they left Cerebro. "It's like a ghost from the past..." Charles agreed. "So," Hank asked, and Charles huffed because he knew where the question was head. "Did you like her?"

"Not the way you're thinking of, Hank." Charles said, amused and annoyed. "I had my eyes set on someone else at the time."

"Really?" Hank leaned forward, his glasses sliding down his nose the smallest amount. He pushed it back up, distracted. "Who?"

"Like I would tell you," Charles said. "Be reasonable." Hank made an annoyed sound.

 

Later, in the car with Alex, Hank couldn't resist asking, "Who?"

Charles laughed.


	12. Charles' world ends (and it was going so well) pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm dedicating this chapter to talkativefangirl13 and middlechild247 because they're being super supportive and I'd like to acknowledge that and also I appreciate all my readers
> 
> I tried to make this funny for you two :)

And so Charles goes to see Moira.

"Come on, Charles." teased Alex, who had come along. "Didn't you ever look her up on Cerebro? Not even once?" Charles already regrets this. Unfortunately, Hank starts to comment.

"He said he had a crush on someone else at the time, knock it off!" 

Alex does not knock it off. In fact, both Hank and Alex begin pestering Charles into telling them who it is.

The car ride there was the worst car ride Charles had ever endured.

"Was it Angel?' Hank guessed.

"No!" Charles said, annoyed. He then made a fatal mistake of letting them have a clue. "They were someone I don't think you would approve of me liking." There was a brief pause, and then:

"Emma? I mean, she was on the opposite team, I understand what you mean now-"

"Telepaths don't usually get along," Charles said immediately. "And no."

There was silence. Twenty minutes of blessed silence, until Charles looked in the rearview mirror. Hank and Alex were exchanging horrified looks. Hank looked blue around the edges. They noticed Charles staring at them and looked at him back.

"R-Raven?" Alex chocked out. Charles almost crashed the car.

"NO!" Charles said, scandalized. "She's my sister, what is wrong with you?!"

Alex and Hank looked relieved and chastised. Then:

"It's a boy, oh, Charles, no, we wouldn't disapprove of you being gay!" Hank said, Alex nodding alongside him. Charles shook his head.

"I can read minds, I know you aren't homophobic," he said, wanting to cry inside. "You guys are so far off the mark."

 

Honestly, it's great to see Moira after so long, even if she doesn't remember him. She's an amazing distraction for the two other men. They're startled when she doesn't look at them or greet them or show any familiarity. She's not supposed to, Charles wiped her memory, so when she recognizes him Charles can't breathe for a moment. But she had read his paper on mutations, the one he wrote when he graduated from Oxford, and that was so long ago Charles forgot about it.

Okay, so he had to use his telepathy on Moira. He feels bad about it, he really does. But it had to be done. They needed to know about what caused the energy wave. The earthquake, as Hank described it. How could an earthquake be so powerful?

 

_It wasn't the first time he used his powers on Moira,_  his thoughts told him, and Charles winced.  _I know, and I feel bad about this, and the time I made her forget everything. But both times it had to be done._

_You're using your powers against humans._

_You're no better than Erik._

Charles shook his head, frowning at himself. He was helping humans, saving the world against this oncoming threat. And as Moira pulled out the documents on her study in Egypt, he leaned forward, letting his curiosity distract him from his brain.

En Sabah Nur. An all-powerful mutant from the past, ancient Egypt, intent on causing destruction and ruling the world with four subjects by his side. An omnipotent mutant with a god complex who gave his four lead followers more powers than before.

"Like the four Horsemen from the Apocalypse. He got that one from the Bible." snorted Alex, shaking his long blond hair.

"Or the Bible got it from him," suggested Moira, and the humor from Alex's comment disappeared, leaving a cold, serious atmosphere in the room, as they all considered that this mutant may be a real threat.

En Sabah Nur.

Apocalypse.

The name sent shivers down his spine.

A new threat. Rather, an old one. Charles thought mutants were only recent developments, caused by radiation and power plants and all your generic mutated ways. He was wrong. Mutants were as old as time, and just as dangerous as now, if not more. En Sabah Nur caused the earthquake, the wave of energy Jean reacted to and helped Charles find Moira.

The decision was made. Moira, Alex, Hank, and Charles would return to his mansion and use Cerebro to look for Apocalypse.

And then Charles' day got worse.

On the car ride back, Hank guessed again. "Darwin? We're not racist, you know."

"I know," Charles groaned. "And also no.' 

Moira had never looked more startled and confused. No one filled her in.

 

As they entered the mansion, Alex asked. "Was it me? Professor, I-"

"What is wrong with you two?!" Charles screamed.

 

And then his day got worse. Again.

 

"This is Kurt. He's joining." announced Raven as he wheeled himself into his study in surprise. A blue mutant with a long tail and black hair bobbed his head. Charles narrowed his eyes.

_He looks like Azazel. Perhaps Kurt is his son. But he is blue... No... Did Raven and Azazel...?_

"Sure. Kurt, was it? Please go outside, Hank can show you around quickly and get settled in." he waited until the door closed before turning back to Raven.

"Raven," he breathed. "I can't believe you returned. Are you here to stay? I'm so happy that you've decided-"

"I'm not staying." Raven interrupted, and Charles' happiness leaked out like a balloon. "I cam for two reasons. To drop off Kurt- watch over him Charles, just do it as a favor for me and don't ask questions, I know what you're wondering. Yes, he's mine. Second, I need your help. Help me find Erik. Something happened in Poland, where he was hiding. He had a family, a daughter and wife. they're both dead now. Please, Charles. Do it for Erik. Or me. Use Cerebro."

Charles sighed. "Very well," He worried for his old friend, and it was saddening to hear that something had happened.

The door opened and Moira entered, followed by Hank and Alex.

"Moira." Raven said in surprise, and Charles winced.

"Excuse me? How do you know my name? Do I know you?" Moira asked in confusion, and Raven glanced at Charles with quickly-narrowing eyes. Charles braced himself.

**Why does Moira not recognize me?**  Raven thought, and Charles replied telepathically,

**It was a bad time back then, so I wiped her mind of all of us. The beach in Cuba, us, mutants, Cerebro, everything.**

Raven turned back with a small frown.

"I'm sorry, Charles mentioned your name. Also, you're wearing an ID card." she said, and Moira looked down, seeing her convenient CIA identification card, and relaxed.

"Oh. Well, are we ready? Also, who are you?" Moira continued.

"I'm Raven." introduced Raven, who Charles noted, was in her human appearance the entire time.

Now, with Hank, Alex, Raven and Moira by his side, he had to search again for the ancient mutant with a god complex.

As they entered Cerebro, Alex tried again.

"Banshee?"

"No. Stop asking." Charles growled. Everyone fell silent. Moira and Raven looked at Charles cluelessly, but he ignored them.

"You rebuilt Cerebro even better," commented Raven to fill the silence. "It's a different color. I like it."

"Thanks, I painted it blue based on-" Hank said automatically, before glancing and Raven, turning slightly red, stopping and looking away. There was a small pause after they entered as they glanced around.

"The CIA would kill for this," breathes Moira in amazement as Charles rolled forward.

"I know," Charles said grimly, recalling the past days as he placed the helmet on his head and Hank turned on Cerebro.

Charles was surprised when he found Erik.

**"Erik?"**  he said in astonishment.

"Erik?!" Hank said in anger and shock, leaning forward. "What's he doing here?!"

He bit back tears as he talked to Erik.

**"I can feel your pain and sadness from here, Erik, I'm so sorry for your loss-"**

**"Just because you can see into my head,"**  seethed Erik, snapping out in a whirl of emotions,  **"you think you know how I feel?!"**

Charles winced as he continued, because he could tell this was going nowhere quickly but then a foreign presence was acknowledged. He turned to the others, gazing into the distance.

"Someone's with him." the he gasped. "SOMEONE'S TRYING TO TAKE OVER CEREBRO"

"To do what with it?!" asked Raven, taking a step forward.

Hank paused, realization and horror on his face. "To connect."

He started to mess with the controls frantically as Cerebro turned purple.

Alex looked worried. "Professor, what do we do?!"

Charles could feel his mind being taken over, could sense missiles, and panicked. It needed to be stopped. It needed to be stopped now, now, now, he couldn't stop it, Cerebro needed to be destroyed, someone was taking over, aiming for missiles, nukes, all over the world, he didn't know what they were doing or why, the presence was ancient and foreign, powerful, even he didn't have this much power, this power, someone was taking over, over Cerebro, over his mind, he had trouble thinking, discombobulated, and he just couldn't fight it, he was helpless, he-

"I've never felt power like this before," he wheezed out.

Hank smashed the controls into shreds and pulled out wires. Then Charles began to scream because Hank helped a little, but Cerebro was being forced to work, it the all the presence, Charles couldn't handle it, help-

"Nothing is working! I can't shut it down!" he cried out in panic. "We have to stop Cerebro!"

Charles grabbed Alex's arm automatically, squeezing tight.

"STOP IT!" he shouted. "DESTROY IT!"

"What?" Alex asked.

"DESTROY EVERYTHING! DESTROY CEREBRO!" Charles locked his gaze in Alex's terrified ones.

" _Wreak Havok_ ," he hissed, and Alex's eyes filled with determination.

Charles could barely pay attention to Alex shouting and the red lasers everywhere. He was watching in mute horror as nukes flew, and as Cerebro shut down and Charles fell unconscious he couldn't help but wonder

_How did this happen? How could this happen? My whole world, destroyed, so quickly, and it was going so well._

_And there's nobody to blame but me..._

_...Right?_


	13. Erik froze (he didn't want to hear the voice in his head)

Erik froze.

He recognized the voice in his head.

And he wasn't in the mood to listen to this voice from the past.

**Erik?**

"Charles?" he breathed quietly, stepping away from the other mutants.

**Hello, old friend. I'm sorry. I am so sorry.**  Charles said, his voice just as quiet in sympathy and regret. **I feel your pain. And your loss.**  Erik frowned at the mention of his dead family, anger returning swiftly. After all this time, this man, no matter if he was an old friend or not, thought he could just waltz inside his head? Where was he in the past ten years, not searching for Erik, clearly, and so who was Charles to just barge into his life?! Charles had probably come to stop him from murdering humans. Was that all Charles did? Were they even friends? It seemed not, because he only appeared in Erik's life to stop him from killing but whenever Erik needed him, Charles wasn't there. No, he would not fall for his tricks this time.

"You think," he began slowly, rage slowly seeping into his voice, "because you can see into my head..." Erik felt Charles start to get nervous, and Erik grew angrier, voice beginning to raise, "... you know how it feels? You are looking in the wrong place, Charles." Despite being angry, he didn't completely lash out on Charles, because there was still a place for him in Erik's heart. _He was acting like a wounded animal_ , reasoned the back of his mind, _calm down_ , but with Charles in his mind, he didn't know if it was him or Charles.

**What happened to them, it was terribly wrong. But, come back to us. I can help you.**  Charles begged but Erik spoke again, mildly calmer, because he was unstoppable. he had friends.

"Help me?" He said slowly. He didn't need help. He needed revenge, to pay back humanity for their crimes against him, against mutants. He surely wasn't the only mutant in the world treated like this, with such pain dealt to them.

**Think of your wife, think of your daughter.**  Charles could sense he was loosing the fight. **What would they have wanted?**

"They would have wanted to live!" Erik snapped. _How dare he bring in my family?!_  "I tried your way, Charles. I tried to be like them. Live like them. But it always ends the same way. They took everything away from me." He turned to the other mutants, finding En Sabah Nur, the leader, the blue one, watching him back. He could sense Charles. "Now... We'll take everything from them." he continued, and he felt Charles' sudden shock and surprise and a faint hum in the back of his mind.

**Hank. He's not alone!**  he heard bubble in the back of his mind, the panic in Charles' thoughts, but he ignored it. It wasn't like En Sabah Nur was going to hurt Charles, another mutant, just drive him out of Erik's head, surely.

"Extraordinary." En Sabah Nur whispered.

The mutant with the metal wings looked up curiously. "What do you see?"

"The answer." En Sabah Nur replied in the distracted voice Charles used when he was using his telepathy on someone else. There was a small pause before he mumbled something and Erik was pretty sure it was "Thank you for letting me in." He didn't understand, but chose to let it slide, assuming maybe Apocalypse hadn't met a telepath before. 

As if Erik wasn't slightly confused enough, then En Sabah Nur began a speech which made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

"It's always the same. And now all this. No more stones. Not more spears. No more slings. No more swords. No more weapons! No more systems! No more! No more superpowers." he raised his arms dramatically, voice rising. "YOU CAN FIRE YOUR ARROWS FROM THE TOWER OF BABEL, BUT YOU CAN NEVER STRIKE GOD!" he lowered his arms, and returned to reality, so Erik looked vaguely impressed just to satisfy the mutant but it still made so sense. The mutant had done absolutely nothing. He always seemed to be staring off into space and mumbling. Erik supposed it might have something to do with the fact that the blue mutant had a god complex, something Erik wasn't overly fond of, but this mutant did have impressive mutations. The mutant turned to them, creating a portal and motioning to make them follow him. Erik shrugged and they all stepped in.

They arrived at Charles' mansion, a door on the other end of the hallway was open, smoke and fire inside, and leaving the room were:

Alex- how nice to see him again, Erik supposed. It had been twenty years. He surely hadn't been staying with Charles the entire time, though? He didn't see him when they broke Erik out of the Whiter House. There was Peter, though, who Erik immediately brushed out of his mind because Peter was a distraction right now and keeping him away from Erik would keep his son safe. He briefly questioned himself if Peter was at the mansion, but he largely doubted that the free-spirited boy would stay in an actual school, if Charles completed his dreams, which by the look of things, did. Except the smoke, what was that? Did Alex cause that? Was that Cerebro? They destroyed Cerebo, did En Sabah Nur do something? That made sense. he moved on.

Moira- Erik's lips curled in distaste. The human which paralyzed Charles. She was here? She, however, did not appear to recognize Erik. He didn't know why, assumed Charles must have done something, and felt a small bit of satisfaction.

Hank- No surprise there. Hank followed Charles everywhere. Ugh, he absolutely hated the nerd.

Raven- His eyes widened in shock.

"Erik?" she said softly, and he snapped into action, dragging the last occupant towards him.

_Why was Mystique here? Was she Mystique, or Charles' Raven? Most likely the second, although she doesn't appear comfortable so perhaps not. She was just as surprised to see him. This was all so weird. Only a few days ago, he was with his family..._

_"_ HEY!" Shouted Alex as Erik used the metal of Charles' wheelchair to pull him towards them.

"All will be revealed, my child," Apocalypse said cryptically, but the man kept running towards them.

"ALEX, STOP!" That was from Hank. The terrified cry, not aimed at them, was the last thing that was heard before Apocalypse, Erik, Charles, and the others heard before they were gone. It left a nervous feeling in the pit of Erik's stomach.

They teleported to Egypt- Why? Erik was so confused that nothing made sense and nothing mattered anymore, until he laid eyes on the last occupant, which they brought with them.

Charles- old friend, the years were looking kind on him, his hair was fair and soft in the light breeze. He was, however, and Erik felt largely uncomfortable after noticing this, that he was unconscious (actually Erik was slightly relieved because he wasn't sure how he felt about Charles after that last conversation and it had been so long) and his face was in one of discomfort. He was wearing a purple shirt, and while it matched with his hair nicely, Erik huffed. Charles still had no fashion sense whatsoever. the shirt was terrible. He gently placed Charles on the ground out of his wheelchair, placing him into a comfortable sleeping position. Most of the other ignored him, but the girl with white hair- Storm, was her name? She watched him, no judgement in her eyes to be found, a soft neutrality that Erik found nice after all the shouting of today.

They sat in silence and waited for Charles to wake up, while Apocalypse stared in the distance, mumbling something about betrayal and ruling the world and cities. Erik felt confused again.

When Charles woke up, he groaned, sat up, glanced around, and stared straight into Erik's eyes for a solid three minutes.


	14. Peter was fast (but he was too slow)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is for NattyJane and Quill18 because y'all are also supportive!

Peter was fast. But he was too slow. He had freaking super speed and all these people were dying because he was the slowest person in the world.

So Peter messes up. Big time. He didn't know, and he feels bad, and he can't believe himself.

Just a few minutes ago, he minding his own business, chilling on the couch. The television was droning on and on in the background, and he was munching on twinkies when the tv caught his attention.

" _Blah blah blah MAGNETO blah..."_  He zipped over and turned the volume up louder.

"Magneto is at large on the 10 year anniversary of his White House speech. Here we are with Karen in Poland, where he was spotted."

"Thanks, Jon. Here I am, in front of the household of Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto. Just yesterday, Erik was discovered as Magneto. Under the alias of Henryk Gorsky, he has been living here for the past ten years, with a wife and child. Yesterday evening, the military was notified and the local barracks confronted him. This morning, the local barracks were found dead, in the woods, along with Magneto's wife and daughter, Marya and Nina Gorsky."

Peter stared in disbelief at the screen. The world was muted in his shock, the words coming from the newscaster's mouth no longer making sense.

_Erik had a wife and child._

_Erik has lost more family._

_I got a sibling._

_I got a sister._

_HAD a sister. Past tense, HAD._

Then his brain kicked in.

_Hold on, this may not have happened if you just told Erik! If you told him, he wouldn't marry this woman and have this child, and then you wouldn't have a dead half-sibling, and it's half-sibling, not sister, because her mom is not my mom, that would be weird, also I don't think Erik would appreciate you calling her that. Nina? Was that her name? What kind of names were Nina and Marya? Hold on, my name is weird like that. maybe it's Polish too. No, but the point is, if you had told Erik, none of this would have happened, and they would be alive. Or at least Marya. So their deaths, and the local barracks deaths are all my fault. I'm a murderer. I killed them. If I bothered to find Erik, and check in on him, I could've at least stopped this. i wouldn't have killed them that way. their deaths are all my fault. If only I was faster in telling him. Faster in finding him. Too late. Too late. I'm the fastest guy in the world, but I'm always too late. What kind of name is Henryk Gorsky? How many people died? How many deaths could I have prevented? How much worse is Erik? Losing more family, I can't imagine how he must feel. This is my fault, he wouldn't be feeling like this if I had just told him._

Peter sucked in a breath, horrified.

"Peter?" He whipped his head up in panic when he heard his mother's voice from up the stairs. He zipped into super speed, changed the channel on the tv, and started playing Ms. Pac-man in a second. His mother walked in and within a minute of her being in the room, figured out what he had really been doing.

"Nothing ends well with him. Nothing does. Trust me." she warned, and Peter rolled his eyes.  _Whatever._  As soon as his mother left the basement, he went to the other side of the room. He pulled out a box. He knew that inside, there was a card.

**_"No, you're not cops. Hey, what's with his gifted youngsters place?"_ **

**_"That's an old card."_ **

With gentle hands, Peter pulled the card out of the box. Despite the crinkled edges and worn look, the words were still readable.

**XAVIER'S SCHOOL**

FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS

_Charles Xavier_

PROFESSOR

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center

Westchester Country, New York

(914) 555 1407

 

Peter smiled.

_Charles had mutant friends. Charles might even be a mutant. Charles could help me find Erik. And tell him. And fix my mistake. Maybe even prevent future deaths. I got to go get Charles. Charles can help me fix things with Erik._

And so Peter ran.

Arriving by the road of the school,  _which looked surprisingly NOT like a run-down school like Charles seemed to suggest with the words 'that's an old card', so did Charles fix the place up or was he lying to Peter? He did seem to think ten years ago that Peter was annoying, which was a total lie, wasn't it?_ , Peter paused, a twinkie half-way to his mouth.

_Hold on... something's wrong._

He hears it first. A rumbling. Something big was going down in the center of the school.

Peter glanced around himself.  _Maybe I got the address wrong and this is the wrong house...?_  Two quick glances prove him wrong. One glance to the right shows several young mutants having a good time driving a car. One glance at the card shows that this was the correct address. He sighs internally.  _Of course the strange noise was coming from the school of mutants. It couldn't be something else. That means that it is probably something dangerous, and Peter can't walk away from this. He is the only one who can stop it, no matter how selfish or lazy he feels right now._

He runs towards the house, fazing through doors until he arrived at the source of the noise.  _Woah._  A fiery ball of destruction met his eyes. He glanced around again, seeing the nerd guy (Hank? Was his name Hank?) from ten years ago, sighing again and cracking his knuckles.  _Time to show how awesome I can be. Not that anyone can see me._  

Casually turning on his music, he runs.

The person closest to the explosion was Hank. Peter recognized the nerdy man, his face filled with panic, fear and desperation. The explosion was clearly Hank's fault. He picked the man up and ran him out. Peter later learned that apparently Hank had glasses, something which Peter failed to notice when he saved him.

"What-?! Where-?!" stuttered Hank when he found himself outside the destroyed mansion, and Peter suppressed a grin.

"I was looking for the professor guy. I thought he lived here." Peter chose to explain casually instead.

It was great. Peter was great. He was being stared at in admiration. Peter was respected for his mutant power, he saved lives, and he felt great. People got to appreciate his gifts. maybe this time someone would say 'thank you' other than the guy with the weird bone claws who claimed to sort of know him. Speaking of which, Peter didn't see that guy. he didn't know if that was a bad thing or not. He didn't see Charles or Erik here either, not that he expected to see Erik.

"They took him..." Hank mutters darkly to himself, and Peter's happiness deflates like a balloon. Something bad was happening, or just happened. Peter wasn't stupid. Erik was probably in on this as well...

And the happiness disappeared even more, which Peter hadn't thought was possible.

He makes faces, he dances to his music, he pretends to flirt with the CIA agent, he even moonwalks. He eats pizza, plays darts, drinks Tab. He saves all the fish and a dog, even. He saves the pets! 

None of this makes up for after.

"Where's my brother?!" shouts one of the young mutants that was having fun with his friends in the car a few moments ago. "Where's Alex?!" Peter scanned the crowd before realizing that he didn't know an 'Alex'. He shrugs to hide his nervousness and replies,

"I'm pretty sure I got everybody." He eyed the blond boy with the red shades before staring at the other kids, hoping one of them might look similar, might be his brother, might be this 'Alex', might step forward-

"Alex was closest to the blast." Hank informed Scott sadly, and everyone focused on Scott crying out and running towards the destruction, and so no one saw Peter's heart freeze or Peter fight back his tears and misery and failure, H _e was a failure, again, always letting people die. He was too slow again. Peter was fast, but he was too slow. Always too slow. So many deaths, so many people died because he was the slowest person in the world. What was the point of his super speed if people kept dying?!_

And then the helicopters arrived and kids looked relieved.

PLEASE REMAIN CLAM. MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IS ON THE WAY.

Peter narrowed his eyes, because  _hey, that was fast, even for a helicopter._

"Moira MacTaggert! Thank god you're here!"

_Almost as if they were already headed in this direction before-_

"Look out!" shrieked Raven, (hey, look, the popular blue mutant lady, woah), as the general stepping off the helicopter removed his sunglasses-

_the explosion-_

"FIRE!!" shouted the general, and Peter's eyes widened.

_HOLY SH-_

And as he had that thought, as he started to dart away, the blast knocked him out and there was only darkness and the impending feeling that he failed.

Failed.

Peter was fast, but he was too slow again. Even to miss a gun.

What was the point of super speed anyway, huh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also, if any of you want to talk to me about dadneto or this fanfic, you guys can reach me on my Dadneto Discord! The invite is: https://discord.gg/zAJFRaM


	15. Charles needs help (he's lost, there's Erik, he can't handle it)

****When Charles woke up, he groaned, sat up, glanced around, and stared straight into Erik's eyes for a solid three minutes.

 _Charles needs help. He's lost, there's Erik, he can't handle it._ Erik's mind supplied, and he felt a soft feeling of sorrow and regret, which he pushed back in disgust and surprise.  _Don't feel sorry for the enemy. Enemy? What?_

Then Apocalypse interrupted, by stepping forward in anticipation, and Erik felt a flash of irritation. He held himself back from stepping between Apocalypse and Charles, because why would he do that?

Charles turned to the other mutant. "You're blocking me. How?"

"I can shield their minds from your power. It's one of the many gifts I have acquired through out the millennia." Apocalypse answered smoothly, and Erik felt a wave of relief. He had forgotten about Charles' ability, and his dislike. His fear of telepathy had disappeared when he actually saw Charles. Apocalypse crouched down closer to Charles, pointing at him and saying softly, "But to... see... inside a mind. To control it. That's your gift." He tilted his head at the telepath. "You saw it, didn't you? The glory of what's to come."

Charles deftly ignored him, turning back to Erik in a mix of stubbornness and irritation. They made eye contact, and Erik felt almost guilty for this situation even occurring, then he shook his head. It was Charles' fault for seeking him out. _He was worried,_ some part of his mind protested, but Charles started speaking ,and Erik pushed the thought away. "Are you going to take part in all this killing? Destruction?" he asked with a huff, and Erik frowned.

"It's all I ever known." he said.

Charles huffed in irritation again, and Erik couldn't tell if it was the truth or a really good bluff. But Charles was truly terrible at lying, so Erik listened. "No, it isn't. You've just forgotten."

"No, Charles, I remember. Your way doesn't work." Erik said, stepping back.

"I showed him a better way. A better world." Apocalypse said triumphantly, but Charles interrupted him again.

"No, you just tapped into his rage and pain. That's all you've done." he said in a matter-of-fact voice and turned back to Erik. Erik stepped back agin, because  _Charles doesn't lie but this mutant isn't using him, this is just what Charles believes, is it not? Isn't it?!_   Charles continued stubbornly, "I told you from the moment I met you, there's more to you, Erik. There is good in you too." _He couldn't believe this. After all the horrors that Erik has gone through, Charles was here, HERE, and he was telling Erik that there was more to him than these horrors. Erik wanted to hear this, but part of him didn't believe it and part of him hated Charles almost as much as he liked Charles. Charles, he hadn't seen Charles in so long, he had just been unconscious, was he okay, how did he hurt himself, if it was Apocalypse he was going to rip him to pieces, wait this was his ally, Charles was the enemy, except Charles? Never. Not truly. Not after all they've been through. Not Charles. And Charles was here, telling Erik that he believed in him, and Erik wanted to make Charles proud, make Charles right, but he shouldn't. He couldn't. Charles might not be right. Erik tried his way. Charles wasn't right before, but maybe it was because he had met Charles too late. he HAD met Charles too late, his hatred and pain had already consumed him and he couldn't simply accept everything Charles said the moment he met him. Except, he kind of had, before?_

Erik sighed. he needed time to think, but for now he had to shut Charles down."Whatever it is you think you saw in me, Charles. I buried it. With my family." Charles head dipped down, and the fight was over.

"Charles, you will send a message to every living mind. You will tell them that this Earth will be laid waste. That it is I, En Sabah Nur, who wreak this upon them. Now. Deliver my message." declared Apocalypse, seemingly taking charge over the end of their little conversation and assuming that it was his victory. Erik flashed his eyes in annoyance again.

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't reach that many people. I don't have Cerebro!" Charles hissed in defiance, and despite himself, Erik felt a wave of admiration for Charles standing up to Apocalypse.

"You don't need a machine... to amplify your powers. You have me." stated Apocalypse in irritation, standing up. He held his hand out to Charles and Charles, with a wince took it.

"Hear me, inhabitants of this world." Apocalypse declared.

"Hear me, inhabitants of this world." repeated Charles slowly.

"A message to every man, woman and mutant. You have lost your way. You have lost your way. But I have returned. But I have returned. The day of reckoning, it is here. All your buildings... All your buildings and temples... ... will fall. The dawn of a new era will emerge. For there is nothing you can do to stop what is coming. This message is for one reason alone. To tell the strongest among you..." Charles repeated after Apocalypse slowly, and Erik stared at him, wondering, he couldn't help but be wondering, why, why was Charles doing this? Why would he allow anyone to tell humans this message, if he was so against it? Why?

"Those with the greatest power. This earth will be yours." declared Apocalypse.

"Those with the greatest power. Protect those without." snapped back Charles, defiance on every inch of his face, a rebellion which nearly surprised Erik as well. "That's my message to the world."

Apocalypse lowered his arms and glared down at Charles, before deciding to ignore him. He turned to the other Horsemen, and gestured to his surroundings, which a quick glance told Erik that they were in Egypt. Cairo, to be exact. Erik wondered what they were doing here. Apocalypse answered the question, seeming to understand their confusion.

"This was meant to be the center of the universe before I was betrayed. Now. It will be." He turned towards Erik and held out his hands. Sand drifted from the ground, forming something, forming...

Magneto's helmet.

Erik blinked in surprise. Seeing the familiar shape seemed to fill Erik with purpose. He was Magneto, master of magnetism. He was working for mutants. He would end humans and their hatred for mutant kind. Mutants were homo superior. They were the ones who would inherit this land. This WORLD. Then, there would be no more mutants dying because of mankind's fear. No more mutants being discriminated. No more mutants living in fear, living in shame, hiding in the shadows. No more would the word 'mutant' be a word of fear, of hate. It would be a world of peace.

"A gift... From the past you left behind. And the future that lies ahead. You, will reach down, my son, deep into the Earth. Rip everything they built from the ground. Wipe clean this world. And we will lead those that survived. Tinge to a better one." Apocalypse announced. Charles huffed again in annoyance.

"And me? Am I to play a role in this madness?" Charles said, interrupting again, and this time Charles' defiance did not earn as much respect as before. Erik narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Apocalypse turned towards Charles with a patient, all-knowing look, however.

"You have the most important role of all." He stated calmly, and something in Charles' face changed, and Erik tensed up slightly. Apocalypse turned back towards Magneto's direction, and Erik made sure his face was blank. But Apocalypse wasn't focusing on Erik. He turned to the city, and held out his arms. The city rumbled, and sand, dust, and rock began to move. Cars, buildings, signs, everything gravitated towards the center of the city, forming a huge contraption, growing larger by the second. A pyramid began to show, with a golden tip and long spires growing out of it's haunting, shiny, appearance. Apocalypse sighed in satisfaction, and prepared to teleport, presumably to the base of the pyramid. As the other Horsemen began to edge towards the ancient mutant, Erik turned, carefully picking up his old friend. Charles stared at him in determination.

"This isn't right, and you know it." The telepath hissed, and Erik cast away his eyes, trying to deny the brown-haired mutant's words. To his own surprise, he found himself making eye contact with the white-haired girl. Her own dark eyes glanced at Erik, and then shifted away in a faint admission of guilt. An action much like Erik's but with familiar dark brown eyes.  _This is not right_ , she seemed to agree, with a conviction like Charles but a gentleness like Peter.  _Peter. Her eyes are like Peter's,_  he realized. The mere thought of someone as young or as innocent like his own son being forced to make such destruction as they were churned his stomach. _This was not right_ , he thought deep in his own mind. He eyed the other Horsemen. The blond haired man seemed to shine with excitement, and the black-and-purple haired girl held a dark satisfaction.  _They enjoy death and destruction, much like you once did._ He glanced back down at Charles as he stepped next to the others. Charles outwardly seemed fine, but something in his face was off, like it was a facade. Like he was afraid.

Maybe Charles needs help, Erik admitted. It couldn't be easy with someone like Erik nearby, and Charles probably felt lost and unable to handle anything. But right now, Erik had a greater duty. MAGNETO had a greater duty than just one mutant. All mutants. So Charles may have to wait.  _But this wasn't right..._


	16. Peter is a loser (and everyone probably realizes it now)

Peter is a loser, and everyone probably realizes it now.

There's no way that they don't. He didn't save the 'Alex' guy, and now he's locked inside a government base.

"AHHH!" He shrieks, jumping to his feet. He's half-awake right now, and all he really sees is a strange blue blob. It takes him a moment to realize that said blue blob is Hank.

"What is it?!" yelps Hank, but Peter's mind has moved on to more important things.

"What is wrong with you?! Is that gonna happen to all of us?!" he asked, checking his arm to ignore his embarrassment that he actually freaked out over someone's apparent mutation. Yeah, he's seen blue mutants before, like Raven, but he was half-awake and Hank? HANK? The nerdy guy was this blue beast? What?

"No, I just left my meds at the house," groaned Hank, scratching the back of his head and adopting a sheepish expression. Peter shot him a quick smile because hey it was just Hank's mutation, it was cool, it was fine, Peter wasn't gonna turn blue.

"What happened? Where are we?" muttered the CIA lady, bringing in some of the more important questions.

"Hey. Hey!" shouted Raven, trying to catch someone's attention, Peter didn't know. he was too busy thinking about how there was Mystique, who was kind of famous, woah, who was in fact NOT blue, which was weird, like her and Hank had switched bodies except Raven was clearly her signature blonde girl and Hank was clearly not scaly like Mystique, he was furry, which really reminded Peter of that fight at the Paris Peace Accords ten years before, right before Erik landed in front of the White House. Peter remembers seeing that fight on television. He had recognized everybody, except for the blue mutants, who he already knew now were Hank and Mystique, holy crap Hank was the blue guy, Hank had tried to kill his dad, they really did not get along, huh. And who was Mystique talking to-?

"Hello, Mystique." said a voice over the intercom, which Peter hadn't even noticed was there. He turned to face the same direction everyone else was and saw a relatively young man, in army clothing looking at them behind a presumably bullet proof glass window.

"Major Stryker," growled out Mystique, effectively helping Peter put a name on everyone in the room.

"Colonel Stryker," smoothly replied Stryker, sounding slightly pleased. Peter nearly groaned. Were they really going to banter, at a time like this? Wasn't there the professor guy who was missing? Did they even know each other? Luckily, the man continued, putting an end to the banter, hopefully. "I wouldn't get too close to the wall if I were you. It may create some..." the man paused again, and Peter wondered if he was as much of a drama queen as his dad was."...discomfort."

The CIA lady stepped forward.

"I'm Moira MacTaggert. I'm a senior officer at the CIA." She started, sounding very official and putting Peter's nerves more on edge because the majority of official people he knew were usually accusing him of stealing something. It didn't matter that they were right, because yeah, Peter was a kleptomaniac, a loser, he stole stuff, he knew it, his mom knew, probably everyone in the world knew it. The point was that whatever playfulness he had with Moira when he saved her from the exploding mansion and the kissy faces he made without her knowing vanished. He supposed it wasn't her fault, it was just a thing all mutants had, a weird feeling about government people. And it was usually for a good reason.

"I know who you are, Agent MacTaggert." Colonel Stryker interrupted, sounding annoyed.

"You cannot keep me here in this-" Moira started to gesture around her at the strange cell they were in but Stryker interrupted her again, a really annoying trait he seemed to have.

"Actually, I can." he said smugly, leaning forward toward the window just a bit as he stated the facts. "A psychic event just destroyed every nuke from here to Moscow. That event emanated from exactly where we found you. At the home of the world's most powerful psychic." He narrowed his eyes, and Peter felt nervous at the man's dangerous look. "So, you're going to tell me," he snarled, "Where. Is. Charles. Xavier?"

Unintimidated, Moira stepped forward, instantly gaining a little trust back to Peter. "It's not him you should be worried about. There's someone else. Someone more powerful." She stated in her business voice.

Raven stepped forward as well, taking her chance. "If you let us out of here, we can help you."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Stryker sneered, leaning back again. He had a dark, all-knowing look on his face. "You can put on any face that you want, but I know who you are. What you are." Then, without warning, he got up and disappeared from sight of the window. A small, awkward silence descended upon the group.

"Hey, Moira. Mm. What did you mean when you said someone more powerful than Charles?" Hank said tentatively, shifting his weight around. Then Moira and Hank began to talk and Peter reviewed his options.

_I should probably talk to someone who knows my dad. Because, after this, I'm going to see him, and I'm going to tell him. So. I should probably find someone who knows something. Moira? No. She's a government official. If she did know him, she would be dead or Magneto would be behind bars. And he was, ten years ago. But that didn't seem like she did that because apparently she's a friend of Charles and back then Charles looked like a homeless guy. I don't think she would have let Charles do that if they knew each other back then. Hank? No, it's clear that they hate each other. So clear. Mystique? Raven? Whatever she wants to be called? Maybe I'll just avoid using her name until she says something or until someone else does. Wait, I'm getting off track. Erik. Raven. Yeah, maybe she knows something. But didn't Erik try to kill her? But she knew Erik's name. She is so cool. She is also my best chance right now._

He eyed the blonde mutant, who was staring at the wall, avoiding the others as they talked randomly. The lights on the wall lit a green tint to everything in the room, including Peter's jacket. The room was probably big enough that if Peter quietly told Raven, the others would not be able to hear, if they were paying attention. Who knew, though, with Hank. Peter approached her slowly. Raven appeared to be deep in thought, small wrinkles on her forehead showing and her multi-colored eyes deep in concentration, looking a million miles away. Peter walked up to her left side, and she snapped out of her thoughts on a reflex, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"You know him? Magneto." He started awkwardly, not sure how to initiate the conversation. Raven looked at him, turning her head to show the sadness, frustration, and mainly confusion written on her face.

"I used to." she admitted. "I'm not so sure anymore."

"What was he like?" Peter stumbled over his words. "Was he..." He paused nervously, unsure of the reply he would receive. "...like they say he was? Was he a..." He paused again.  _Did he really want to know the answer to his question? Did he really want to know how many people his father had killed, how many lives he had destroyed? Did he really want to face this reality? But he had to know. He had to know what he getting himself into. Erik seemed like a nice guy, but Peter knew he wasn't. Would he ask Peter to join him? In killing people? Peter couldn't do that. Just the thought made him feel sick. He couldn't end up like Erik. He couldn't. It wasn't in his genes, right? It's not 'like father, like son' when it came to murdering people, no way. He forced himself to finish his sentence._  "... bad guy?" He anxiously looked at the other mutant.

"No." She frowned and corrected herself. "I mean, yeah. He was..." She shook her head. "Why do you care so much? Did you see his speech on TV or something?" She said in minor annoyance.

Peter looked down at his feet nervously, contemplating what to say. "Yeah, but... He's my father." he admitted.

Raven spun around to face him, shock written all over her face. "What?" she exclaimed harshly, then glanced over at the others, who were still in deep discussion. Peter sent them a nervous look as well, in super speed, of course, before looking back at Raven, who was staring at him intently. He decided to joke about it, which was his natural mechanism for when he was nervous, because he was that much of a loser.

"He and my mom, they..." He jokingly made a symbol with his hands to symbolize what they had done. Raven quickly shook her head and rolled her eyes, but the smallest bit of amusement was now in her expression.

"Yeah, I know." she interrupted softly and quietly. "But... Are you sure?" She added uncertainly, and Peter knew why.  _He looks like he was always old and grumpy. How did he get a wife? Have a kid? When did he pause his murderous rampage to have kids? And he didn't take care of him? He had a softy side, wouldn't he at least be aware that he had a kid?_  Peter brushed the amusement out of his thoughts with a harsh reminder of Nina, his dead sibling.  _Don't joke about that,_  He scolded himself internally, and returned to the conversation nervously. 

"Yeah. Yeah. yeah." He said multiple times in a rush, trying to just let the truth go because yeah, this was big, yeah, he kind of needs help, yeah he is a loser he doesn't know how to handle it. "He left my mom before I was born. I met him 10 years back, but I didn't know it was him. By the time I figured it out, it was too late, you know." He bobbed his head slightly and made a face. He was a naturally expressive person, wearing his heart on his sleeve and generally being the opposite of Magneto, and he tried to hide his weird quirks but they all just kept showing up again. "Then, this week I saw him on TV again. And, I came to their house looking for him. But, by the time I got there..." He tilted his head a puffed out a breath of air dramatically, making a face of complete exasperation to use humor to cover up how he felt. "Late again. You know, for a guy who moves as fast as me, I always seem to be too late." he admitted quietly, letting shame wash over him and glancing down. He was such a loser. Everyone knew, he just had to clarify how bad of a loser he was sometimes. he looked up to see raven watching him intently with a small frown of sadness and determination.

"Let's hope not this time." She said simply, looking him straight in the eye.

"Yeah. Seriously." Peter attempted to joke. But he understood. This was the plan. Peter and Raven would try to talk to Magneto together. They would work together. Raven was offering him help.

And, like a helpless loser, he was taking it.

God, he was such a loser. Everyone probably realizes it now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for such a slow update, guys


	17. Peter was nervous (and scared, and generally an idiot)

Peter was nervous. And scared. And an idiot.

He can't believe he told Raven about his father. Didn't they have history at one point? Oh god, what if she hates his dad, and therefore him, and tells Erik for him? That would mess it all up. Or what if she still loves Erik, and sabotages him? But Raven looked so chill and solemn... no, Peter didn't need to panic, but he was scared and nervous and idiot, so he paced and panicked anyways.

Then there was the voice in his head, talking about taking over the world but then the last words were about taking care of weaker people. Which was weird. And cool. And mostly confusing. Peter didn't know what to think. Judging everyone else's expressions, they could hear it too. It sounded like the professor Charles guy. It probably was.  _I don't get it. He didn't seem to have this mutation last time..._

"That was Charles doing that without Cerebro." breathed Hank in confusion and awe. Peter was too confused by it all to even reply or understand what Hank meant. I  _thought the professor guy was on the good side????_

"Sir, what was that voice?" Peter could hear someone ask nervously. They saw Stryker approach the window again.

I know that voice. It's Xavier, isn't it? What's going on?" barked Stryker, leaning towards them, looking crazier than before, something Peter didn't think was possible, but here we are, and now the Colonel guy was practically frothing at the mouth. Peter momentarily regretted the fact that he was the closest to the window.

"We don't know!" Moira, Hank, and Raven replied, almost perfectly in unison.

"We don't know, bro!" Peter shouted, and, being a typical 21-year-old, his response was delayed several moments after the others. He threw his arms up for extra effect.

Then there was even more commotion from behind the window.

"Shots fired!"

Stryker turned his attention from the mutants and Peter silently heaved a sigh of relief, which was quickly forgotten as they listened to the sounds coming from the control room.

"Where's it coming from?"

"I have intruders in quad 6."

"Send a security team and take them out."

"Charlie 3, report"

 "Did you find them?"

"Fire!"

An alarm began to blare, and lights began to flash, and everyone jumped in surprise.

"Weapon X is loose. I repeat. Weapon X is loose!" someone shouted loudly, voice panicked.

"Engaging target, Sector 5. We can't stop h... !" came a strangled cry faintly, and Peter winced.

"Hey!" shouted Raven as chaos ensued in the control room on the other side of the window.

"What are they doing?" Moira asked.

"What's going on?" wondered Hank out loud. Peter just stood there, frozen.

"I just lost the feed."

"What's going on here?" demanded Raven louder. At the lack of reply, she raised her voice to a shout. "Hey!" she barked, but no one paid them any attention and Peter wondered how much of a good thing it was.

"I'll be right back. Move!" Stryker snapped with a nervous expression and all but ran away. And so the mutants were left there, waiting in suspense. Peter twitched in fear.

Then the lights flickered up in the room on the other side of the window and there were screams and something was up there, murdering the soldiers. Everyone shouted in fear and sprinted forward, going to hide under the window. It was the only spot where the murderous.... thing.... wouldn't see it. They glimpsed blood on the window and winced. Soon, the screams stopped. They waited in fear. Carefully, Peter looked out, catching a glimpse of a shadow before it disappeared. It looked strangely familiar...

"Is it gone?" Whispered Moira fearfully, and Peter nodded. They carefully walked back to the center of the room and looked into the window. There was no one. Then a blue mutant teleported into the room. They startled, but it was only Kurt. They breathed a sigh of relief. Kurt said something, but it was hard to hear. Peter suspected that whatever Stryker used to communicate to them was broken.

"What?" shouted Raven.

"What?" shouted Hank, but Kurt continued to speak silently.

"We can't hear you!" shouted Peter, gesturing to his ears. Kurt nodded and looked down, pressing a button.

"Hey. Stay away from the..." Kurt's voice crackled and was faint through the speaker.

"The what?" shouted Moira.

"Th... door..." Kurt's voice continued to be interrupted by the noise of static. "Stay away from the..."

"Get away from the door!" yelped Peter in sudden fear as he understood the meaning. All of the mutants and Moira jumped into action.

"The door! The door!" they shouted in a frenzy.

"On three. One. Two." Kurt counted, then looked down at his fingers, as if realizing he only had 3 fingers just then. An explosion sounded by the door, and it was blasted away revealing Scott and Jean.

"We know where the Professor is. I think we might have a way out of here." Jean took control. Peter felt a little relieved at the prospect of an escape. He felt super twitchy. 

"Well, you've been busy." Raven stalked forward, a question in her eyes and she glanced at the window where soldiers had been murdered and back at Jean and Scott.

"We had a... a little help," Scott admitted, looking nervous and glancing at Jean from the corner of his visor, some untold question in his hidden eyes.

"Let's go," Jean said firmly, and she turned on her heel and began to run, the others following her. Jean led the way, with Scott and Peter at her sides. Peter had to remind himself not to run too fast, as he did not know where they were going. Raven, Hank, and Moira were directly behind them. Suddenly, a cloud of blue smoke appeared and Kurt was there, stumbling, in the front of the group and almost crashed into Scott and Peter.

"Watch out! Jesus!" snapped Scott, proving Peter's internal assumptions correct. He had suspected from the moment he saw Scott driving in the car that Scott was one of those kids who thought that in order to have friends, he had to be snappy, a little mean, and give off a seriously cool vibe. Peter almost snorted at him but was far more distracted by Kurt. He really hoped Kurt was teleporting because he didn't see Kurt run over. Peter was the fastest person alive but if he didn't see Kurt run over than that would mean Kurt was faster. So yeah, Peter hoped Kurt teleported, or else Peter was even more lame.

"Oh, sorry." apologized Kurt, tail flickering behind him.

"This way," Jean commanded, before Peter could reply. She led them to a large room with a beautiful jet.

"Nice," commented Hank. Raven turned to him.

"Hey, Hank. Do you think you can fly this thing?" _Hank can fly planes? Oh my gosh, that's so cool._  Hank glanced at Raven but then turned to assess the jet critically, examining it thoroughly. Peter got the impression that jets were harder to fly than he originally thought.  _I mean, it's probably harder than driving a car and I can't do that either,_ he admitted.  _Although, that car didn't have that many scratches on it, so..._

"Yeah, I can figure it out." Hank decided.

"Hey, guys. Check it out. Flight suits." Scott said, dragging Peter's attention over to the black, sleek uniforms. He zoomed over and, in super speed, tried one on that was about his size. It mostly fit him, but it was every so slightly a bit loose around the sides. Peter supposed it was because he was so skinny. He turned back to the others.

"You got your warplane. Let's go to war," said Raven, eyes still on Hank, as if continuing a past conversation. Peter felt annoyed. It was so irritating when people did that because he didn't know what they were referencing.

Peter looked down at himself. Only twenty minutes before, he was scared, nervous, and an idiot. Now he was going to war, to tell his father the truth, and he was still nervous, a little scared, and an idiot. Oh well.

He boarded the jet, and within a few minutes, it took off in silence. He glanced around at everyone's serious faces and prepared himself for the task ahead.


	18. Peter lightens the mood (but darkens his own)

The mood on the plane as they fly to Egypt is dark and dreary, full of hesitation and a hint of fear. After all, they were a group of teenagers, Peter, Raven, and Hank excluded, one powerless human, going to fight against a god and four super powered 'Horsemen'.

Well, hopefully three. If Peter could have the guts to tell Erik.

"Were you scared?" blurted out Jean suddenly, after a good hour of silence on the plane. "That day in DC, were you scared?"

"No." Raven said shortly. A pause of silence followed, everyone feeling awkward. Raven softened a bit. "But..." she started to talk again. "I was scared on my first mission. I was on a plane like this with my friends." Raven narrowed her eyes at the teenagers, silently judging them. "About your age. We called ourselves the X-Men." Her eyes grew a wistful look as se turned to Scott. "Your brother was there. We used to call Havoc. He was a real handful, but..." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "When it came down to it, he was very brave."

Peter nodded his head. This sounded legitimate.

"What happened to the rest of the kids that went with you? The X-Men." Scott asked, and Raven looked sad.

"Hank and I are the only ones left. I couldn't save the rest of them. I told you, I'm not a hero." She huffed, putting up a defensive front, trying to act unlovable, but Peter could see right through it.

"Well, you're a hero to us. Seeing you that day on TV changed my life." Jean said stubbornly, and everyone nodded.

Mine too." Scott was quick to side with his (probably) girlfriend.

"Mine too." blurted out Peter, and people stared at him. He added nervously, to keep the conversation going, "I mean, I still live in my mom's basement, but..." He glanced up, trying to think of something that changed. His shoulder and head bobbed. "Everything else is..." He got nervous. He could not think of anything that really changed, even though he was the one who lived closest to D.C. and had actually fought Magneto with Raven. "Well, it's pretty much the same. I'm a total loser." Peter admitted, and everyone laughed, Peter nodded and smiled, even though he had been serious when he said he was a total loser. They all probably thought he was just trying to lighten the mood, but he was serious.

Suddenly he wondered how his mother was doing.  _She knows by now that I'm not at home. She probably thinks I'm looking for Erik. I bet she does not know about all the crazy stuff I've been through already. I mean, government bases, exploding mansions, kidnapped professors? Oh no, I bet she heard the professor. She's definitely worried about me. Crap,_  he thought to himself.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile: Charles:

"They will betray you again." desperately hissed Charles, partially out of spite, partially out of fear.

The omnipotent mutant looked at him. "You're wrong, Charles. For the first time in a thousand lifetimes... I have you. For all my gifts, I've yet to possess the one I needed most. To be... everywhere. To be... everyone."

 _Hurry up, Jean,_  thought Charles as the blue mutant calmly prepared for the ceremony -OF INVADING CHARLES' MIND, WHY IS THE MUTANT SO CALM IT'S NOT FAIR- and strapped Charles onto the rock slab.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Seventh wonder, 12 o'clock." Hank said suddenly, and Peter glanced over and ran to the front of the plane with Raven, distracted from joking with the others and chewing gum.

"He has the Professor in the center of the pyramid. He's going to transfer his consciousness into the Professor." informed Jean, fingers to her forehead and looking very serious. Peter swallowed nervously, almost swallowing the gum.

"If he does that, he'll have the power to control every mind in the world." Hank said in fear.

"What the hell is that?" Moira exclaimed suddenly, pointing out the window to a floating nebula of metal with one clear figure overing inside. Peter's eyes widened.

"It's Erik." Raven confirmed Peter's nervousness as Hank landed the plane and the new X-Men stepped out, ready to fight.

"You guys help Nightcrawler get into the pyramid. Get Charles. I'll take care of Erik." demanded Raven confidently.

"How are you going to get through that?" Hank asked in wonder.

"I can get you in there. I came here for him. Let me help you." Peter said desperately. raven eyed him, but shook her head.

"No. Dropping something like that on him when he's like this makes him paranoid and unpredictable. We can't afford that. Sorry, Peter." she turned to address the others. "Change of plans. Get Quicksilver into the pyramid, which will be easier. Nightcrawler, you're coming with me." Peter went to protest, but Raven stared him down. "I'm sorry Peter," she said softly. "I know how you feel right now. but please, wait." Peter glanced down, unknown emotions churning inside him before defeat gave way. _As much as I don't want to admit it, she has a point. But... what if Erik doesn't survive this? What if I don't survive this?..._  Still, he nodded lightly and stepped to the side. Raven nodded, slightly pleased with herself before turning to the others once again. "The rest of you, get Charles on this plane and get him out of here." she commanded, turning to leave.

"We're not leaving without you!" Scott said suddenly, fear lingering in his voice at the thought of someone getting left behind.

Raven scoffed under her breath. "Don't worry. We'll catch up. Hold on. Hank, you go with the kids. Moira will be waiting on the plane."

"Wait." Scott interrupted her retreat with Nightcrawler again.

"What?"

"Not all of us can fully control our powers." Scott said uncertainly.

"Then, don't." said Raven, exasperated. "You need to embrace them." She pondered her own words. "We all do." With those words, she shifted back into her natural blue form. Her glimmering royal blue skin and fire-like red hair emerged. Raven narrowed her eyes in determination, and everyone began to move. Kurt grabbed Raven and disappeared. Peter internally scoffed to himself. If Raven wanted a moment to try to talk to Erik, she should have still brought Peter along because Peter could totally find Charles and be back on the jet in less than a second. But, he supposed, talking to Erik wasn't the mission and Peter grabbing Charles was more effective, even if he didn't like it. He started to run towards the pyramid.

"There's an entran- where-?" Jean started to say the moment Raven left, but Peter was already gone.

Okay, so maybe Peter took longer than one second, because Raven could still talk to Erik if she wanted. Wasn't like Peter was jealous or anything. That would be stupid. Also, the pyramid was a literal maze, and Peter was running around everywhere. he was pretty sure he was getting closer to where the Professor was, but then again, who knew.

No, he was by the Professor. He could see him, strapped to a table. He was faintly glowing blue and the longer Peter watched, the brighter it got. Apocalypse must have only just started whatever it was that he was trying to do. Oh well. Peter tore away the restraints with relative ease because _force equals mass times acceleration_  and Peter knew that despite not really going to school because his mom still got him textbooks, and he read the textbooks because he didn't want to be dumb and he was bored at the time, and Peter was super fast, which means that he was strong or something. Peter picked up Charles with a gentle caution because  _let's not give the poor man whiplash on top of everything_ , and backtracked slightly slower than the speed which he ran in. He appeared in front of the team by the jet. Jean, Scott, Hank, and Moira were more or less in the exact same place they had been before. He shrugged, slowing down. Charles no longer felt light as a feather. He trembled a bit. T _here you go, speed = strength._

"-did he go?" Jean asked, looking around. She caught sight of Peter and the Professor. 'Oh wow, right, speed powers. Professor Xavier, can you hear me?"

"Let's get him on the plane," Hank said, also trying to hide a surprised expression. Peter snorted internally. _This is what they get. People are always underestimating Peter. And they had even watched him save them from that exploding building. Whatever._

Scott helped Peter load the semi-unconscious man onto the plane.

"Woah, who are they?" asked Moira, and they glanced out of the plane. The Horsemen were approaching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah I accidentally posted my plans for peter's fight with apocalypse but I fixed really quickly. I know you guys are excited to read it but you can't yet, but you will very very soon


	19. Erik has a big choice (and he knows what he must do)

Erik has a big choice. Luckily, but also unfortunately, he knows what he must do.

He admits, he didn't know what to do at first. He was excited and troubled, from taking over the world and Charles. He was minding his own business, hovering in the air with a magnetic force field around him and he focuses on lifting all the metal in the entire world into the air. And that's a lot of metal. He focuses on the metal on the outer layers first, tall buildings, before moving onto metal ships, sunken to the bottom of the sea. He knows he can't lift all the metal in world, because he's not an idiot. He knows the core of the planet is iron, and to try to take it apart would cause destruction that would be impossible to reverse. Even what he was doing now was making him nervous. How could he destroy the world like this, but still expect mutants to survive it? Apocalypse seemed convinced that they would, but Erik wasn't sure. The thought left him uneasy. How can he do this, and let mutants live? _How could he do this, at all?_  A voice sounding suspiciously like Charles asked in his head. And now he's imagining Charles. Great.

So Erik wonders while he hovers in the sky. He notices a jet approaching the destroyed city and narrows his eyes. It was, with no doubt, Charles' students. It was relieving. When they had left the mansion, Hank had screaming something horrible, but not at them, which suggested a bigger problem. Erik felt a little better knowing all those children, those mutants, had not needlessly died. But they were surely there to stop them. And the jet, as Erik scanned the jet with his powers while still focusing on lifting all the metal, did not seem like the kind of jet that Hank would build. Because if anyone would build a jet in Charles' mansion, it would be Hank, which meant that the mutants had found a fighter jets to steal. Where or how they managed to steal a fighter jet, Erik had no clue. In fact, it was a little strange, and Erik was really curious. He watched the mutants exit the jet. Naturally, Hank was there, and Raven and Moira, though why they were with Charles in the first place and why that brought a useless human Erik didn't understand, followed by other mutants, one who looked like Alex, but for some reason Alex wasn't there??? And then there was-

He froze, eyes wide, nearly losing his concentration. his magnetic field wavered.

Peter. His son.

_What._

Did Charles recruit him? That didn't make sense, because Peter had helped him after the White House fiasco. Speaking of which, this brought back memories. Floating in the air, using his powers for mutant-kind while a silver haired kid tried to stop him. But what was Peter doing here? He watched Peter seemingly argue with Raven, and lose the argument. Erik held back a chuckle. Typical of Raven. Then a blue mutant grabbed Raven, who turned blue, good for her, accept yourself, and Peter disappeared and Raven and the blue teleporter teleported up to Erik. Erik's eyes narrowed. A blue teleporter who was a spitting image of Azazel, only the exact same shade of blue as Raven. Did Raven have a son...? With Azazel? Really? And then he noticed Peter was back by the jet, with Charles in his arms, holding him carefully. He felt a flash of pride for the gentle way Peter held the elder man, before frowning as he realized that the gentle kindness was not anything like Erik, but he had most likely learned it from Magda.

"Erik!" Came an infuriating shout, and Erik's attention was drawn back to the two mutants in front of him, Raven and her son????

He gazed down at them impassively, hiding his whirling thoughts behind blank, cold eyes. Raven stared up at him, her posture oozing with determination. The mutant behind merely looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness.

"Mystique." He answered cooly. Said mutant shifted slightly, a gesture that would have gone unseen if Erik had not been checking for it.  _She always saw herself as two different people. Mystique, or Charles' Raven. It seems like she wants to be good, wants to believe that the world can get better, like how she used to wish, back when she lived with Charles. Charles' Raven. At least she knows better than to try to convince me of the whole concept that 'humans can get better' and 'humans can be nice'. Charles still foolishly believes that all humans are like Moira._

"I know you think you've lost everything. But, you haven't." Raven wasted no time after he acknowledged her, talking as if they already had the part of the conversation where Raven begs Erik to reconsider, to help them, and went straight to the reasons why Erik should stop. That was a good thing about Mystique, he supposed, not wasting her breath when she knew the answer already. 

"You have me. You have Charles. You have more family than you know." She continued. Erik held back a snort. He knew exactly who his family was. "You never had the chance to save your family before. But you do now. That's what I've come here to tell you."

Erik eyed Raven in interest. Was it possible that Raven knew that Peter was his son? If so, how ominous. She was practically suggesting that Peter was going to be in trouble. He held back a the overwhelming sensation of rage and protectiveness.  _Was Mystique threatening his son?_  He tried to reason with himself. Perhaps she thought that the silver speedster was going to get himself in trouble. Which... sounded like a very Peter thing to do. He held back a grimace and the feeling of rage.  _Don't show her what you're thinking._ _Showing your thoughts and emotions is a weakness._  He instead turned toward the other mutant after raising an eyebrow at Mystique pointedly. Mystique's face seemed to change slightly, into an emotion that Erik barely recognized if he hadn't been so acutely aware of himself feeling the same way. _Protectiveness._  

"And you?" He said mildly, not trying to intimidate the young mutant as he knew that if Mystique was anything like him, which she was at one point, she would be positively enraged at any sort of threat to her son. The boy merely shrugged, and Erik was struck by the realization that the young blue mutant was a very gentle, very unsuspecting, very innocent young man. He shifted away awkwardly. At least even without Erik's influence, Peter wasn't that naive to the world. Not even Charles was. The young man was so purely good that Erik could not understand for the life of him what he was doing in this little battlefield.

And then the jet started up, and Raven and the boy glanced at it. They had gotten Charles onto the jet. Why wasn't Apocalypse stopping them? Erik wondered briefly, before seeing the other Horsemen charging towards the jet. Mystique turned to Kurt.

"Teleport onto the jet," she commanded. "I'll stay here for a moment, continue to try to talk to Erik. You help them." The mutant nodded, and disappeared in a puff of blue and black smoke.

"I never took you for the motherly type, Mystique." he commented casually. Raven turned on him, frustration and knowledge in her eyes. Apparently, she was going to play along with him.

"I didn't expect you to be a family type either." She said, and Erik frowned.  _Was she talking about Peter? Or Nina?_

"I'll have you know that I have-  _had_ ," he corrected sadly and angrily, "Three children and two wives." Raven's eyes widened and then softened with a gentle and sad look.  _"Don't you dare pity me,"_  he suddenly snarled in rage.  _"Don't you dare! All I want is revenge and time to mourn."_

"Would you not feel bad for a man who lost three children?" Raven said, surprised by Erik's rage but still soft with him. "What if I told you that you still had a chance?"  _She knows about Peter,_  Erik knew now. He decided to let the cat out of the basket, that he knew too.

"If you are referring to my 21-year-old son," he said slowly, watching Raven's eyes widening in shock, "Then I'm afraid you are mistaken. Everyone important to me dies sooner or later. It's a miracle he even lived this long just for meeting me a couple of times. Let him be, he doesn't deserve this, this curse. His mother hates me. I lost that chance when his older sister died. He's good," he said wistfully. "He's really a good person. A good mutant. And I'm not. He sees me on the news, I'm sure, he's seen what horrors I've done. How much worse would he feel knowing that the person who is killing people on the television is his father? That his father is a murderer. I try to do good, I try to do this for mutants, and yet the majority of people who try to stop me _are_  the mutants. He doesn't need me, this burden, this death around him. He's good now, how good would he be if he hung around me?"

There was a moment of silence, Erik accepting all that he said as true. Was he really a good guy? Raven began to talk, and he glanced at her with a small amount of surprise.

"Charles still thinks that there's good in you, that you can be good. And you know what? Peter wouldn't feel any worse, watching the news about you. He wouldn't get less good. He wouldn't really change. And you know why? You know why I know this? Because he came here, looking for you _._ " Raven declared, each word a deliberate blow to Erik's psyche. Lifting the metal off the ground worldwide was long forgotten. He leaned forward in shock, his mind struggling to process what she just said.

 Raven looked at him solemnly, and even thought Erik knew that she could pull off the biggest, best bluff in the world, could lie to anyone without batting an eye, he felt that she believed every word she had said.

"You think he knows?" he said. Raven internally winced, but refused to give the secret that wasn't hers away.

"He came to the mansion. He was going to ask Charles to look for you. He had seen you on the news. He knew you were in trouble and he wanted to help." she said. "I don't think he's changed that much in the past ten years. Too kind for his own good." She looked him in the eye. "And you need to make the decision, Erik. To be good or not. To try or not. To talk to Peter or not. And I think we both know what you need to do." She said, and Erik nodded.

And then the jet with Peter and all the other young mutants and Charles crashed into the ground exploding into an enormous fireball.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you guys want, I promise it is close, so close,


	20. Peter fights (he loses)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I say canon typical violence, this chapter probably means closer to wolverine movies level of violence. Fair warning.  
>  Also, this is what you guys are asking for, right?

Scrambling onto the plane, they tried to speed away as fast as they could.

"What about Raven and Kurt? We can't leave them behind." Scott said, worriedly.

"They can catch up. Kurt can teleport, remember?" Hank replied.

Sure enough, before the words even finished leaving his mouth, Kurt appeared in a puff of sulfur, a black and blue cloud which cleared to reveal the young mutant.

"Where's Raven?" Hank barked out the question immediately, eyes widening in concern. Peter chuckled quietly to himself from his spot next to Jean and Charles. The crush that the tall, furry man had for the scaled, determined mutant was so obvious. Jean raised an eyebrow at him. She didn't have to read his lightning fast mind to know what he was laughing at.

"She wanted to stay and speak to Erik a little longer." Kurt replied. "Also, I'm here to help you." There was a short pause of silence.

"Help you?" Hank repeated.

Then the jet violently jerked to the side. Peter and others yelped in surprise. Peter unbuckled himself and ran to the cockpit to stare upwards. A quick glance outside the window revealed three of the four Horsemen outside. The girl with the white hair hovered slightly, lightning crackled around her. _Huh. Cool. Her power was really interesting because he thought that electricity was some kind of mutant weakness? At least it seemed so, back at Stryker's base. But this mutant's power was harnessing electricity, so would she have been as powerless as the others if she had been at Stryker's base with them? Peter would really want to see that-_

His train of thought was interrupted as the girl with the weird purple weapon powers climbed on the roof of the jet with the help of the angel wing guy and then she proceeded to cut a hole in the roof. _Well, we're screwed._

The plane dived towards the ground as Hank raced from the controls, shouting.

"Everyone grab onto Kurt!" he commanded, and Kurt's eyes widened.

"I can't travel with this many people!" he cried.

"You have to!" Jean declared, and everyone struggled to hold on to Kurt. Peter considered his options.

_One, they all hold onto Kurt and he magically is able to teleport them all away. Unlikely._

_Two, they all hold onto Kurt and he can't teleport them all away, Peter uses his super speed to escape last minute, maybe carrying one or two people out with him, but everyone else dies. Unacceptable._

_Three, Peter escapes last minute carrying one or two people, and eases Kurt's burden so he can teleport away with the others._

"I can get myself down easily," Peter decided out loud. "That would ease Kurt burden. But I have to wait until the plane is about to hit the ground, and then jump off it. I could take someone with me, if anyone's brave enough."

"Can you take two?" Jean asked.

"Yeah." Peter said with a self-depreciative shrug that said clearly, _I'm still a loser and everyone knows it, but I can carry two people._

"Take me and Scott." decided Hank. "It would be best for Kurt to take Charles."

"Okay," shrugged Peter, and Kurt's eyes widened in relief. Peter met the blue mutant's eyes and nodded once.

"What?!" cried Scott, but Hank had already pried his hand off of Kurt's hand and Kurt had teleported away. So it was just Hank, Scott, and Peter in the falling plane.

The purple lady slipped into the plane, followed by the winged dude. they eyed the remaining three X-Men in the jet.

"Peter," Scott warned loudly, freaked out, as the two approached slowly, stumbled from side to side as the jet continued to fall.

"I told you guys, we have to wait until the plane is near the ground. You won't die, I'm not an idiot." Peter said.

The jet shuddered, sending the two intruders stumbling. The purple girl managed to stay standing, but the winged guy fell hard into a plane seat. Shaking his wings, he tucked them neatly behind his back and continued to approach.

"PETER!" Scott yelled, somehow louder even though the teenager was already practically screaming in the speeder's ear.

"Chill," said Peter, slightly amused and annoyed.

The plane shuddered, and the man gripped the wall to steady himself. Hank took his eyes off of the angelic man to look through the front window of the plane. The ground was terrifyingly close.

"Peter!" Hank said, his voice also starting to become high-pitched. "Is that close enough for you?"

Peter turned and looked at the distance. He sighed. It was a little high, but if he jumped off the plane at this height it wouldn't cause any damage to them. Also, his passengers were clearly terrified. Peter would find that funny under normal circumstances, but their lack of trust was making him annoyed and a little sad. _Peter knows he's a loser, but you would think he's a trustworthy loser, who, you know, doesn't like killing people?_

"Fiiiinnne." He said, grabbing the back of their necks.

"Woah what are you doing?" asked Scott, and Peter grinned, despite himself.

"I'm holding your neck so you won't get whiplash." He said quickly.

"What?!" Scott shouted, and Peter laughed despite himself.

"Whiiip. Laaasssh." And then he ran, laughing. He ran up the walls of the falling plane, and crawled out. He walked to the edge of the plane closest to touching the ground, and jumped. He hit the ground easily, arms in the air, and his little passengers didn't even touch the ground. He noticed a nearby house in the untouched buildings near the pyramid that he thought he saw someone in. He ran inside, seeing the rest of their team. Charles and Kurt were laying on the ground. Charles' head was cushioned by pillows, while Kurt had simply passed out from teleporting all those other people. Peter supposed it was good thing he had been there, then. He placed Scott and Hank down, and sped up the world to it's normal speed.

Scott and Hank yelped in surprise, before realizing where they were. Jean and Moira shot them amused looks. Hank glanced over at Peter.

"Remind me never to agree to that ever again unless I absolutely have to. A life or death situation." he said.

"It was a life or death situation!" Peter protested, mildly offended. _But it didn't matter that he was offended because he was a loser. A nobody. He wasn't even supposed to be here. And yet,_ he thought, _he was in the mood to kick some blue butt._ He gazed out the window. Nearby, the all-powerful Apocalypse raged. A plan started to form in Peter's head.

"Get out. Get... Get out!" Charles suddenly shouted, still laying on the floor. Peter turned his head, distracted. The professor's eyes were wide open, but he seemed to stare through Jean and Moira, who crouched over him. The man twitched violently, and the two women crouched over him. Moira ran her hand through his brown locks. Hank raised an eyebrow at the display.

"Professor. Professor, it's okay. You're with us. It's okay." Jean soothed. Moira adjusted the pillow beneath his head. Peter turned back towards Apocalypse. He had moved to look downwards towards the plane crash. He seemed to be looking directly at something. Peter narrowed his eyes and nearly threw up when he realized that he was looking at a bloodied wing poking out from the debris. He had never seen anyone die before, and Peter had surely helped in the boy's death _. Gosh. A boy. Not even an adult yet. Peter should have gone back and saved him. Who deserved to die from their misjudged life choices at such a young age? Peter should have saved him. Peter could have saved him._ Tears prickled at the edges of his eyes as he clamped a hand over his mouth in horror.

"Useless," Apocalypse muttered quietly, but Peter could hear him. Peter had never felt so angry in his life before. He struggled to breathe calmly.

_Useless? USELESS? How could he say that?_

 "Charles. I know you can hear me," the mutant continued, unaware of Peter's mounting rage. "We're still connected." He tapped the side of his head with a single finger. "Charles! Show yourself! CHARLES! SHOW YOURSELF!" he screamed out loud in anger. He began to turn towards the building where they were hiding, but it was too late. Peter had enough of this. 

Peter ran over, the world slowing down. He snorted in disgust as he was finally close enough to see the mutant fully. _This was an all-powerful mutant? The omnipotent godly Apocalypse? No, this was just a scum bag. Let's see who's useless now!_

He punched the mutant in the face so hard he flew backwards. Peter had hoped it would make him feel better, but the act of trying to take his anger out only made him angrier. It kind of scared Peter, but he couldn't stop now. He was protecting people. Peter went around him and kicked him in the opposite direction. _This was easy._ He hit the blue mutant sending him flying. He just kept hitting him and punching him, slowing and speeding time up as he moved around. He had never felt so angry and yet victorious in his life. This horrible being was getting what he deserved. As he went to punch him again, suddenly the world caught up. The dirt beneath his foot softened like quicksand, and grabbed him the ankle. Time snapped to normal, and Peter found he couldn't move. He was stuck. The mutant in front of him eyed him in distaste and amusement.

"Foolish child." he hissed. Peter snarled at him as the blue mutant stepped closer. Peter threw a punch at him, but it was useless. The mutant stopped him with ease, hand tightening around Peter's fist. The blue mutant tightened his grip slowly. Peter could hear his knuckles cracking, and he tried to pull away. The older mutant was tugged forwards a little but the speed and force behind the tug, but planted his feet and clenched his fist.

Pain. Peter screeched like a wounded cat. He probably had some broken fingers. All the anger he had felt had disappeared, replaced by blinding terror and pain.

Apocalypse smirked, and then twisted his arm. If Peter did not want his arm to be broken, he would have to bend into an uncomfortable position. Peter grimaced in pain but bent over. Apocalypse took advantage of his weakness, and kicked Peter's leg, the one stuck to the ground, hard. Peter heard his leg crack before he cried out in pain. Breaking his leg hurt. It was like the fire that had fueled his anger was burning into his legs like molten lava. Apocalypse planted his foot firmly on Peter's leg, over the place where it was broken.

Peter nearly blacked out from the pain and fear. He gathered all his determination and thought to himself as firmly as he could, _You can do that later. Right now you're going to die if you don't do something!_

He wriggled like a fish caught on a hook and tried to yank his leg out from under Apocalypse's foot. The movement made it hurt worse, and he yowled with pain, but his foot shifted a little, even while trapped in the dirt. Apocalypse frowned, and with a wave of his hand, Peter's foot sunk deeper into the dirt. He was trapped and he couldn't move his legs. Without his legs, he couldn't run. He was useless. Running was all he had left. Peter whimpered in fear and pain. Apocalypse twisted his arm again, but Peter couldn't move. He cried out in agony as his arm made a sickening sound. He collapsed there, struggling not to cry out in agony.

This was agony. Peter had never felt pain like this before, but he was sure of it.

 _Peter._ A sad, scared voice said in his brain.

Peter squinted for a moment, confused. _Charles?_

Then Apocalypse yanked on his hair. Peter jerked his head up, trying to stay up. He caught sight of someone approaching. The tears in his eyes made them a little blurry, but they seemed to be wearing a dark red. He shut his eyes firmly, blinking the tears out of his eyes. He opened his eyes to a nightmare he had never considered.

His father stood there, in front of him, face unreadable behind the helmet. He looked down at Peter.

"End him." Apocalypse commanded, tightening his grip on Peter's hair.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn't exactly what you expected, you probably imagined Erik would be fighting in this chapter as well, hmm?  
> 1) probably the only cliffhanger I will ever do. I'm sorry  
> 2) I've changed things up for more drama, lmao  
> 3) Since me and Spider-man Fan 100% agree Peter is too overpowered to just be stuck just like that, I've taken a few liberties, so yes, there is a little more violence than in the movie


	21. Erik fights (he wins)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating sooner than I had planned because 1. I'm on a writing spree  
> 2\. the cliffhanger is cruel and I love you guys im sorry

Erik sat there, blank faced and deep into thought.

_Charles._

_Peter._

Raven had long disappeared. Erik just created a stairway of metal and she had ran off towards the crashed plane. Which was fine. Erik didn't want her nagging at him right now. He had a choice to make. Which was ridiculous because he already was going to make it no matter what. He couldn't go against Peter. He'd have to betray Apocalypse. His mind was whirling around, thinking of strategies when a scream broke his concentration. Curious, he turned. And then promptly froze.

Peter was fighting Apocalypse, and losing. Peter was kneeling on the ground awkwardly, his arm and leg broken. His unharmed limbs were twitching around, trying to balance himself or free himself, Erik didn't know. He watched with complete horror.

His son was going to die. He had no doubts on that. And here Erik was, frozen, helpless to save his family.

No. He was not frozen. There was nothing stopping him from saving his son. Saving the last of his family. He had to pull himself together. But his thoughts were at a standstill, frozen as he stared at the scene below him in horror and fear.

He floated down to the ground, his grip on the magnetic waves of the Earth loosening. Apocalypse looked up, eyes gleaming, and beckoned him to approach. Erik did, face blank but mind racing.

Peter had tears in his eyes, Erik realized as he approached. It was a stupid thought, but Erik felt numb with fear for Peter.

"Kill him." Apocalypse said, pulling on Peter's hair to hold his head up. Erik watched Peter's eyes widen. He twitched uselessly in an attempt to escape. Erik's throat closed up in horror.

"You are feeble. Just like the others." Apocalypse hissed. He turned to face the building where, Erik assumed with growing terror, Charles and the other young mutants were. "Charles! Come! Rescue your weakling! Give your life, for their's!" He roared. 

Erik had been so lost in his thoughts, so selfish, he hadn't realized what was happening in the outside world. The real world. Everyone was in danger, everyone left that he cared about. Charles. Peter. His son. Everyone left.

Erik stepped silently closer as Apocalypse paused.

"Charles! Will you do nothing?" He roared louder, yanking Peter's hair. Peter cried out, and suddenly Erik was moving. He reached out with his powers and used the iron in Apocalypse's blood to release his grip on Peter. Erik threw the ancient mutant away from his son and stepped between them, and threw metal at Apocalypse, blocking him from moving towards Charles. Apocalypse blinked, an uneasy expression on his face. "You betray me?" he snarled softly.

Erik was barely listening. Everything seemed muted, except for his singular goal. He zeroed in on Apocalypse's face. Erik was the closest he would ever get to being an angel. He was there to avenge his family. To protect them. He stared Apocalypse down, mentally gethering all the metal he could reach out and grab with his powers. It started to rise up behind the metal bender.

"No." he said simply, feeling the truth echo in his words. "I betrayed them."

And he launched all the metal he could as violently as he could towards the purple monster before him. He threw himself into it, trying as hard as he could to  _no stopping, don't stop, kill him, protect your family, protect your son, fight for him, fight for your family, Charles, Peter, Peter, your son is hurt, Peter is hurt, fight metal throw all the metal, all the metal now-_

Distantly he was aware that Hank freed Peter from the ground and dragged him awkwardly away. He didn't notice that Scott and Storm helped him. He didn't notice Peter's grimace of pain, Charles laying there uselessly, trying to attack Apocalypse mentally and failing. He did listen to Charles' quiet pleas to Jean, his quiet voice saying "Jean, let go. Jean, let go!". It was hard not to notice the red-haired mutant stand on air and burn Apocalypse to a crisp, or hear Apocalypse mutter, "All is revealed" before he dissolved, but Erik didn't pay attention until Apocalypse was gone. Erik felt a rush of protectiveness and satisfaction in watching the dust blow away. The threat was taken care of.

He brought his eyes up to the powerful mutant floating above him, and thought in the back of his mind,  _She is dangerous. Powerful. How long will it take before she is the threat?_

Instead, he turned and walked towards Peter.

Peter was leaning against a wall, whimpering. A valiant attempt to hide his pain, but the obvious dependency on the wall and the awkward way his leg was bent still made Erik wince.

Erik didn't like crying children. He may have had his own, his Nina, his Anya, but it doesn't mean that he likes to hear them scream and cry. Maybe it was because he could not stop their screaming or crying in the end. Maybe it was simply because Erik was a great father but just didn't like the high pitched wailing. Whatever the case, he watched Peter whimper slightly with the thought,  _this one doesn't cry._  Peter sounded like a little bird in the big wide world. A fitting metaphor, as Erik recalled the innocent aura the young man had. Perhaps he doesn't go outside much, except to steal things. Perhaps his mother didn't let him. Perhaps he doesn't like the outside world. How can he be so kind and selfless and caring and take on Apocalypse in this world?

Peter whimpered again, eyes scrunched shut. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Jean levitating the plane in an attempt to fix it, Hank watching her, ready with directions, holding Charles almost limply in his arms. Moira hovered over them, her eyes wide and glistening. Kurt and Raven spoke to each other in low voices, possibly Raven was telling Kurt her own big secret. Scott eyed Peter with a strange expression, and although Erik didn't show it, he was on high alert. Scott eyed Erik, and then Peter, and then Erik again. He took a small step forward, and Erik realized what was going on in the young man's thoughts.

Erik was still in his Magneto armor, still a terrorist. And he was standing over a helpless (Erik's heart clenched at this thought) injured mutant. Erik could feel the mistrust rolling off of Scott in waves. Scott took another step forward. Erik was having none of it. He scooped Peter up fluidly but gently. It didn't stop Erik's heart from hurting again when Peter let out another small whimper.

Where had Peter learned to stifle his cries? Why would he think that it was necessary? Erik banished the thoughts before they grew much darker. He carefully carried Peter past the watchful Scott, past the curious Storm, and headed over to Jean, who had somehow managed to get the jet in a (mostly) working order.

Gently, he carried his son inside and placed him on the ground, supporting his back against the wall. Peter's eyes fluttered.

"Whm?" he muttered. Erik didn't know what he said, but it sounded like a question. He glanced around awkwardly, but no one was watching. Charles was placed on the ground on another side of the jet, Moira fussing over him. Hank was pulling out supplies to try to help the injured mutants. Storm was trying to make conversation with Raven, clearly in awe of the blue mutant, and Jean, Kurt, and Scott were talking together. Everyone was busy trying to pretend this was all normal. No one was paying attention to Peter and Erik. They were in their own small bubble.

"Peter," he said softly. "You..." he swallowed nervously. His chest felt like a tight balloon.  _Just rip off the band-aid,_  he thought.  _Just say it._ "I'm..." He took a deep breath. "Your-"

Hank pushed past him, crouching down next to Peter and started to examine his broken leg.

"Move Erik, don't crowd him. I have to fix his leg now because there's a chance that he heals super quickly too and I don't want his super healing to fuse the broken bone together wrong or else I'll have to break his leg again and that won't be fun for anyone." Hank snapped in a mixture of irritation and worry. Erik stepped back, fuming silently.

 _Dammit Hank!_ He watched Hank inject Peter with an anesthesia, muttering about how he "hoped that it wouldn't wear off until he finished moving the leg around and making a cast".  _Oh well._

Erik sat down on a seat nearby, keeping an eye on Peter while his mind drifted. He wondered about his future while the jet headed home.


	22. Peter is useless (Running is his life)

Peter is useless. Running is his life, the only important part of him. Without running, he's even more of a loser. But now here he is, broken leg, and he can't run.

He stood there, moping, as he watched Jean and his father build the mansion from scratch. The debris had been cleared away, Jean was laying down wood planks for the frame of the house, and his father hovered in the air with his arms held out and moving metal pieces over to help nail down the wood base.

Peter leaned heavier onto one of his crutches and sighed, glancing down at his leg.

Much to his disappointment, when Hank put his leg in his cast, he learned:

_"While you might have super speedy healing, Peter," Hank had looked up from over the edge of his glasses then, staring directly at Peter. Peter had felt a little uncomfortable by the scrutiny. "Your leg won't be fully healed for another month."_

_"A month?!" Peter had gasped, his mouth falling open in shock and horror. Thirty days. Thirty days without running, which was his life, which was all he was good at. he had never gone one day without super speeding somewhere, even if it had been just for some small useless thing. But a whole month?_

_"Yes." Hank confirmed. "A month. That means no damaging your leg, no going anywhere without your crutches, no running and no super speed." Peter gaped at him in full horror._

He shook his head, dislodging the memory as he gazed down at his cast. While maintaining the facade of the cheery, child-like twenty-seven year old, he had found markers and had everyone sign his cast. Scott had drawn laser eyes, (which in Peter's opinion looked terrible, but he wasn't a big fan of Scott anyways so he may be biased) Storm had drawn lightning bolts and clouds, Jubilee drew hearts and other girly designs on it with Jean, although Jean had drawn a small pizza slice, (reminding Peter of that cool small dog he saved when the mansion had exploded. He needed to find that dog later) and other designs on his cast, and much to his delight, Raven had drawn block letters, proclaiming, 'I <3 Rush!' on it.!

He stared at his father again from the distance. Would he ever have the courage to tell him? Dear god, he hoped so.

Footsteps sounded behind him as Storm walked up. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before following his gaze to Erik. Peter didn't mind. It's not like she knew that Erik was his father, so she could draw whatever conclusions she wanted to.

"Mystique told me he is your father." Storm said, and well forget what Peter said, Storm knew exactly what was up. What was Raven doing telling anybody about him and Erik, anyway? He knew Storm practically worshipped the ground Raven walked on, but why would Raven tell Storm anything? "Are you ever going to tell him?"

"I dunno, probably." Peter said, trying to sound braver than he was.

"Mystique says that they will reform the X-Men again. The mutants dedicated to protecting the earth. Jean and Scott are going to join it." Storm changed the subject smoothly. Peter tilted his head.

"Will you?"

"Yes," decided Storm. "It would be nice, to work with others. Be a team." There was something wistful in her gaze, a lost longing for people she could call her family, Peter decided. She glanced at Peter again. "What about you?"

"I guess," Peter shrugged apprehensively. "I'm just gonna stick around here for a while." He supposed that meant he would join the X-Men, seeing as him, Raven, and Storm were probably the oldest mutants at the school besides Charles and Erik. He tried to look at Erik again, but some of the metal he was lifting flashed the bright sunlight into his eyes. He sighed internally and put on his cool new sunglasses, which were, obviously, silver.

And he and Storm stood and watched the mansion be built.

\---------------------------------------------time skip-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peter sighed loudly for what seemed like the hundredth time during Hank's checkup on his leg. It was nearing the end of the month, and the mansion had been finished. All that was needed was furniture, which arrived daily from moving trucks. All the furniture seemed to brighten up the children, as opposed to sleeping in tents while the mansion was being built. However, it seemed the adults mutants *cough cough Erik Raven Charles and Hank cough cough* were sad.

"All the old furniture were heirlooms from Charles' family. The mismatched stuff was nice." was all Hank said when Peter mustered up the courage to ask him why he was so sad looking.

"Alright, Peter," Hank sighed. "The cast can come off, but no super speed. No running, either."

"Whatever, whatever," Peter said in excitement and impatience, fingers twitching. "Just take the cast off already."

Hank sighed, messing with the cast. Peter sighed again, and looked away.

And much to his surprise, looked at Erik.

'Erik?" he exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Hank looked up from his work, interested as well. Erik shrugged.

"A little birdy told me your cast is coming off today." he said.

"Charles." Hank muttered immediately. "I didn't even decide that until ten minutes ago."

Peter snorted in amusement. Erik's mouth twitched upwards slightly.

"Now, hurry up!" Peter said, glanced down at his leg again. "HurryhurryhurryI'mbored!"

"You're bored?" repeated Erik, still smiling slightly.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be bored? I've been sitting on this exam table for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes! Do you know how long that is for me? That's a hundred years. I can count past 8 million in twenty minutes if I wanted to. And I would count slowly."

"Well, stay slow." Hank said, finally taking the cast off.

"My leg!" Peter shrieked suddenly, boredom out the window. "Why does it look funny?!"

After Peter's shriek, Erik had quickly stepped closer a few steps.

"Because you haven't been using it. You need to build up leg muscles in that leg again." Hank said patiently. "That's why you can't run yet."

Peter's eyes narrowed in determination. "You can't tell me what to do, old man!" he declared, like a freaking teenager. He launched himself to his feet. Only to immediately crash face first onto the floor.

Well, almost. Erik caught him. Which was super nice, since Erik didn't know that Peter was his son. Erik stood up, shifting Peter in his arms until he was pratically holding him. Would now be a good time to tell him? No, Hank was in the room.

"Careful." Erik said immediately.

"I told you." Hank said at the same time, and they glanced at each other.

Erik glared daggers at Hank and within moments, Hank was glaring back. Which was awkward, since Peter didn't know why and he was still in Erik's arms.

"As much as I would love to watch this soap opera unfold, can I sit down? Properly?" Peter asked.

The glaring reluctantly stopped and Erik helped Peter back into a sitting position.

"Right." Hank adjusted his glasses. "So, no running. No super speed. Use your crutches still."

"Aww man," Peter whined. "Do I have to?"

"After you just fell over?" Erik said protectively. "Of course!"

Peter looked up at him, eyes wide. Erik cared about him, without knowing that Peter was his son? That made things so much lighter and yet so much heavier. He didn't want to replace Nina or Anya and if he tells Erik that he is his son, then Erik will realize that the caring feelings he might have for Peter now meant he was (possibly) subconsciously replacing his daughters and then Erik would get angry and it would be horrible. On the other had, maybe the transition would be easier because Erik already cares about Peter?

"Well," Hank said, clearing his throat. "You two can go now."

Embarrassed, Peter snatched up his crutches and hobbled away quickly.

 _Hobbled. How pathetic,_ he thought bitterly. _Why would Erik want a son like him? A spaz? All he was good at was running and wihtout that, Peter was useless. Why would Erik want such a useless loser as his son?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys: please, give closure  
> Me, consulting my plan for about twenty more chapters: did y'all hear summ?


	23. Erik is awkward (always. Always.)

So Erik ends up staying at the mansion. He doesn't know how it happened. He was helping build the house, then helping move in the furniture, then Charles wanted him to help fill out paperwork and whatnot, and help train the X-Men, (Erik refused. Train the X-Men? Him? A terrorist? no, bad idea), and then Raven got him caught up in some pet project in building ramps for Charles' wheelchair, and then some grandfather clock kept getting destroyed by a young mutant until Erik caught Raven paying said young mutant money, and then he realized he had only said very few things to Peter and lurked about a little longer, and then Erik was a substitute teacher for history until they could find more adult mutants willing to teach the younger ones, and then he liked the job so much that Charles decided he WAS the history teacher, and Charles gave him a book he thought Erik would like, and then Peter joined his class and sat in the back and stared at Erik until he was mildly uncomfortable because Peter didn't know so why was he staring, and then he was grading tests he had handed out, and then Erik hadn't finished the book Charles had lent him and it would be rude to take the book with him.

None of this struck him until six months after the mansion was completed. He had given himself so many excuses to stay, so he just walked up to Charles.

"I-" Erik started, but Charles waved a hand and cut him off.

"I knew you were going to stay," he said. "You've been the permanent history teacher since two days after I asked you to be a substitute teacher. It's all on the papers."

Erik was mildly annoyed but honestly Charles knew everything anyways so there was no point in fighting.

"Nope," Charles agreed, sipping a cup of coffee.

Erik turned back to his room, remembering how weird it was to have someone in your head. He had spent too much time with that helmet on his head.

 _Yup_ , agreed Charles in his head. Erik held back a snort of laughter. Oh, he had missed the banter between the two.

Since his occupation was apparently official, he tried to acquaint himself with his students.

Now that he was paying attention and caring of their opinions, he realized a few of them were scared of him. Just a few. Only about the majority of them were afraid.

So he worked his suave charm on all of them, greeting them by the door for once and smiling and asking them about their day.

Peter walked in the door last, freezing at the sight of Erik. They stared at each other. There was comical awkward silence until someone else in the room accidentally broke something and Erik had to stop staring and go fix it.

Then he turned back to Peter.

"Umm." he said.

"Hi." said Peter, inching towards his seat.

"What did you do yesterday?" asked Erik, because he had asked most students that. Peter shrugged slowly.

"I..." He considered his words. "Went shopping for myself."

Immediately his dad instincts kicked in. His eyes narrowed.

"Did you steal something?"

Peter blinked in surprise. "Umm. Like. A Twinkie."

Erik blinked back. "I know I should yell at you for stealing but I didn't understand that word that just came out of your mouth."

Despite the awkwardness, this seemed like the correct thing to say and Peter gaped at him and started talking rapidly.

"Oh my god how could you not know what a Twinkie is?! I can't believe this does Charles know you don't know? Does Charles know what a Twinkie is? Does anyone as old as you guys know what a Twinkie is? I have to get you a Twinkie as soon as possible after class."

"Uh." Erik stated unintelligently. Somehow, just by a few sentences, they had gone back to their old friendliness from before Apocalypse. it was nostalgic. It was nice.

But then Peter shrunk back, uncertainty on his face. He shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "Unless you don't want to," he muttered. "I understand, you've got teacher work to do and stuff..."

Erik's eyes widened unnoticeably. "No, no, I'd love to try it." he paused, looking at the class, realizing he had to work. "Maybe... Saturday...?"

Peter smiled quietly. "Sure."

And Erik went back to teaching, cheering himself on in his head.

Peter sat there, screaming 'oh my god' in his head.

 

Hank walked up to Erik after class one day, when he was correcting a test he gave his students. Hank's chest was puffed out and he seemed to be gathering courage. Erik groaned internally. He and Hank had never gotten along, and something must have happened is Hank was going to outright confront him. Erik opened his mouth with a sigh, but Hank beat him to talking.

"I don't think a teacher should date a student." Hank said quickly, his shoulders squared defensively. Erik paused, surprised.

"What...? Okay..." Erik said, confused. Hank frowned.

"So you can't date your student." he said.

"What?" Erik said, confused. Then a thought dawned on him. "You think I'm dating one of my students?"

"Well," started Hank, taking a deep breath, but Erik interrupted him, scandalized.

"I'm dating Charles, not a student!" he exclaimed in shock. And then covered his mouth in horror.

Hank froze. "You're dating Charles?!"

"No, no, no, please don't tell anyone I said that. Or even think about it. Oh god, please don't do anything, wait, Hank-!" Erik babbled in fear.

"Not Peter?!" Hank exclaimed, shocking Erik into silence.

'What?" Erik asked.

"What?" Hank asked simultaneously.

"Ummm..." Erik started nervously. "I would like to date Charles, but I'm not, so please don't tell anyone, and Peter is my son, so no, gross, there's no way I'm dating him! I wouldn't date any student! Why would you think that?"

"oh..." Hank shifted uncomfortably. "Well, you're always hanging out with Peter... but now I get it. He's your son... Oh... and I guess I won't tell anyone about Charles..." he muttered to himself quietly.

"You're going to tell Raven." Erik said with a sigh of defeat.

"Yeah." agreed Hank. "I can't keep anything from her. Well, then, uh, I apologize for bothering. To think I almost went up to Peter first!"

"No!" Erik cut in. "Don't tell Peter!"

"What?" asked Hank. "I said I wouldn't."

"No, you don't understand, Peter is my son, but he doesn't know that! I have to tell him, not you!"

"Oh..." Hank got the uncomfortable look on his face again.

"What is it, Hank?" Erik snapped, worried.

"Well, if it looked that way to me... do you think it might look that way to Peter?"

"Hank!" cried Erik, aghast.

"I'm just saying!" Hank put his hands up defensively. 'It might look that way to-"

"NO!" Erik shouted.

 

 

Peter was walking down the hallway, grumbling to himself about how much homework he had when he noticed Erik walking towards him, staring at him intensely. He froze just as Erik placed his hand firmly on Peter's silver, leather-covered shoulder and glared at Peter. 

"We are not dating." Erik said firmly, and then continued walking past Peter as if nothing happened.

"What the heck?" Peter said out loud, alarmed. He turned around to reassure his dad that no, he didn't think that, that's gross, you're my dad, but when he looked behind him, Erik had already disappeared.

 

 

Late one night, Erik was getting ready for bed when there was a knock at the door.

"it's unlocked!" he shouted as he brushed his teeth.

Charles walked into his bedroom.

"Someone said you had a crush on me." he said simply.

Erik chocked on his toothpaste in shock and rage.

 _Hank! I'm going to kill him!_ He thought murderously.

"Actually, it was Raven. And thank you for confirming it." Charles said calmly.

Erik finished brushing his teeth and nervously went to face Charles. "So why are you here?" he asked.

"So we can handle it like adults." Charles said, stepping closer to Erik.

"And?" Erik said, straightening up his spine defensively as Charles took another step forward. "Do I have to go now?"

Charles looked a little surprised. "No." he said simply. He leaned forward and pecked Erik's cheek.

Erik blinked in surprise.

Charles chuckled. "Now you can tell Peter he has a step-father." he joked, and then left the room.

Erik blinked dumbly into his empty room.

"Step-father? We aren't even married." he muttered to himself. "And it's not like I've told Peter anything yet."

Still feeling like an idiot in shock, Erik went to bed and turned off the lights.

 

 

"He went to bed," Charles said, almost disappointed, pulling his fingers away from his forehead.

"Ha!" Raven exclaimed. 'You owe me ten dollars, Hank!"

Hank reluctantly handed Raven money.

"So," Raven said casually. "What are we going to do about Peter and Erik?"

"Should one of us tell Peter?" Hank asked.

"Hank, Peter already knows." Charles said mischievously. "They just don't know the other one knows."

"What?" Hank squawked in surprise. "Why don't we just tell them that then?"

"Because it's funny, and the only drama in this entire school." Raven laughed.

Charles nodded slightly. "We'll interfere if it becomes too dangerous or weird," he decided. "No harm with that."

"Unless Erik finds out you knew." Raven said slyly. "Then he'll be pissed."

"Hmm." Hank agreed.

Charles paled slightly. "Maybe we should interfere."

"Not tonight though. Everyone's too tired for that drama to unfold." Hank said.

"Aww," Raven said. "It's funny!"

"As funny as Kurt?" Charles asked.

"What?" asked Hank, and Raven paled. She smacked the back of Hank's head.

"None of your business!" She glared at Charles. "And you keep your mouth shut!"

The trio went to bed, chuckling to themselves. Or rather, just Charles chuckling.

 


	24. Erik doesn't want to open his eyes (and see the truth)

Erik doesn't go looking for love. He's looking for family.

But Charles is sweet and kind and Erik can say whatever he wants and Charles will understand exactly what he means. Charles can make him feel happy or determined or calm. Charles is powerful and it makes Erik's head spin but Charles doesn't do anything.

Erik still has his helmet.

He doesn't wear it.

He trusts Charles.

He remembers how ten years ago, he had scoffed and laughed to himself about how Charles was a fool for trusting Erik, and how Erik hadn't changed. But Erik was trying to change. And Erik trusted Charles.

_He just doesn't know if Charles trusts him. Charles has telepathy, but he doesn't know if Charles goes through his mind often or not. He hopes Charles trusts him._

_He doesn't want to know what the truth is. He doesn't want to risk it. He doesn't want to open his eyes and find nothing changed, with Charles standing there with the same betrayed look he had ten years ago when he tried to shoot Raven at the Paris accords, or the same betrayed look when ran ahead without him, or did something stupid that Charles told him not to._

_He doesn't want to open his eyes and find his dreams crushed._

_He doesn't want to know the truth._

One morning, Erik wakes up and goes downstairs to eat breakfast without othering to change out of his pajamas. He was greeted with a quiet room without any annoying, drama-filled children. There was only Charles, sitting in his wheelchair, wearing a gray V-neck sweater, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Good morning Erik," Charles says, not looking up from the table.

"Morning, Charles," Erik replies as he makes himself his own cup of coffee. He pulls out his favorite mug, which happens to be a coffee mug that Charles gave him a long time ago. As he pours the coffee in his cup, he glances up to see Charles watching him.

"Why do you drink your coffee black?" Charles asks, amused. He isn't really amused, however, he's nervous. Perhaps because he was caught watching Erik. Erik was a nazi hunter, and he would be dead by now if he didn't gain some skills like people reading. Erik supposes Charles is just talking because he was awkward because he was caught. "Wouldn't you prefer a little sugar?" Charles continues to talk, which throws Erik in a loop because maybe Charles wasn't talking because he was nervous anymore. _Charles was confusing,_ Erik thought, _especially when Erik hadn't had his coffee yet._  Erik doesn't really know why Charles is trying to talk to him before he drinks his coffee, but he finds himself is a good mood and humoring Charles.

"Why do you drink your coffee with so much cream and sugar?" he asks. Charles chuckles.

"Because I'm not an edgy person who likes to suffer while they wake up, and my soul isn't as black as black coffee," Charles jokes. Erik vaguely wonders in the back of his brain if Charles has already drunk more than one cup of coffee this morning, or if Charles was in a surprisingly happy mood, or if Charles was just being polite. Erik takes a sip of his own coffee.

"I like my coffee the way it is," Erik says lightly, or at least tries to say it lightly. But a good mood can't last forever, especially not when you want to drink your coffee. So he gulps his coffee down as fast as he can, ignoring how hot it is. Charles winces.

"Oof." Erik wonders automatically in the back of his mind if Charles is reading his mind and feeling the sting of the burning liquid. He doesn't really care at the moment, however, because Erik is a proud, stoic man and there's literally no possible way in the universe that he is going to flinch or make a face about the boiling liquid. In fact, he's such a man that he takes another sip.

Charles is watching him worriedly. Erik decides to make the ultimate power move. He locks eyes with Charles and slowly drinks his burning hot coffee.

Then Raven walks in, takes one look at the scene and snorts with laughter.

Erik just feels really foolish now. He slowly sets down his mug.

"Men," Raven mutters to herself, pouring coffee in a blue mug. "Men are ridiculous."

 _Thanks Raven_ , Erik thought sarcastically, his ego bruised. He glances down at his coffee and when he looks up, Charles is gone. _Damn._

"By the way," Raven said smoothly, taking Charles' spot. "Jean, Scott, Ororo, Kurt, Peter, and Jubilee are all going to the mall. They need a chaperone."

Erik looks at her. She's plotting something.

"Okay?" he asks slowly. "Why are you telling me?"

"I'm busy, and Charles said everyone leaving the house needed a chaperone" Raven said, as if that solved everything. She made a flapping motion with her hands. "Shoo, they're leaving in five minutes."

'What?" squawked Erik, equal parts annoyed and alarmed. He chugged his boiling hot coffee.

The last time Erik had gotten dressed this quickly, it had been because the nazis he had been hunting had figured out which hotel he was staying at. He raced down the stairs just in time to see the teenagers pile into a yellow car.

"Wait!" he barked loudly, causing them to freeze. He ran up to them. "I'm coming with you," he declared.

The teenagers all looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"What?" Scott said, annoyed.

"I'm coming with you. You need a chaperone." Erik said, standing there with his arms crossed.

"But we talked with the professor and he said we didn't need one," Jubilee complained. Erik looked at her.

"Nice try," he said. "But Raven said Charles said you need a chaperone."

Jean chuckled quietly. Erik looked her dead in the eyes. Her smile faded sheepishly, but the twinkle in her eyes remained.

"What." he said dangerously.

"Why would you trust Raven?" Jean smiled.

Storm looked at Jean, disbelieving. "She is a hero! Why wouldn't you trust her?"

"Raven makes great pranks," Peter chuckled to himself. But he also looked uncomfortable, and kept glancing at Erik.

Erik growled to himself. Of course Raven would do something so irresponsible and childish. He straightened his shoulders.

"Fine," he growled. "Just don't get into trouble." He had no doubts at all that the group of teenagers would do something stupid. But when that happened, he would make Raven deal with it. He turned back to the mansion as the Scott started the car.

"Can I drive?" he heard Peter ask. Erik tensed immediately.

"No way!" everyone cried.

"You don't even know how to drive," Jean said, horrified.

"And you're a speed demon and keep asking us to drive past the speed limit," Kurt yelped.

"I'm older than all of you by at least ten years!" the speedster complained.

"Not me," Storm muttered.

"You don't know how to drive either," Scott said. "I'm the only one here with a license, so I'm driving!"

"What about me?" Jubilee complained. "I have a permit!"

"You need an adult," Scott said in a bossy tone. "This is why you all should have started learning as soon as you could."

Erik slammed the front door shut and stomped over to Charles' office.

"Erik," Charles greeted, looking nervous. No doubt could he feel the rage oozing off of Erik.

"Charles," Erik said, "Remember when you broke me out of the Pentagon and you gave Peter the get-away rental car?"

Charles looked briefly surprised. "Yes?"

"He still doesn't now how to drive." Erik said, fuming. "We shouldn't have given him that car."

"Probably not," Charles agreed, before frowning. "I thought once you reached 18 years old you were forced into driving lessons."

Erik didn't even know that. _America_ , he thought, annoyed.

"Not in other countries," he muttered. "Speaking of which, Storm needs driving lessons too."

"Driving lessons?" Raven laughed by the doorway. "Erik should teach them!"

Charles positively beamed. "That sounds like a lovely idea! You can hang out with Peter more and you can bond and you can teach him how to drive!"

Erik wanted to scream.

On one hand, if Charles was so excited then perhaps he didn't read Erik's mind for why he hated it.

On the other hand, what if Charles was enjoying Erik's suffering? That didn't seem like Charles.

And yet Erik was too afraid to open his eyes and look. The good was more likely than the bad, but Erik was afraid of the bad.

Erik was afraid to open his eyes and look, and to know if Charles loved him.

He stomped back into his room.

 

 

 

Bonus:

 

Jean grinned at Peter, who was sitting in the back seat, squished between Kurt and Storm.

"So," she said. "Erik."

"What about him?" Peter asked.

"Does he know?" Jean asked, grinning widely, and Peter shook his head. She turned back to the front, and the sound of the wind was loud, but Peter was pretty sure she giggled.

"Why don't you tell her?" Kurt asked.

"Why doesn't Mystique tell you?" Peter retorted back, and then froze. Everyone stared at Peter.

"What?" Kurt asked finally.

"Uh, n-nothing," Peter spluttered, and then hid his face in his hands. God, he was such an idiot.

"Mystique is Kurt's mother," Storm said slowly, voice contemplative. She nodded to herself. "This makes sense."

Kurt looked at Storm, eyes wide. "What?" he said again.


	25. Peter can't drive (he can feel Erik judging him)

Peter can't drive. It's not that he doesn't want to, it's just that he gets excited and wants to go fast.

He remembers how he barely managed to get the rental car onto the highway after breaking Erik out. He had happily slammed his foot down on the gas and created a large car accident. By the time the fires were out out and the police arrived, Peter was already back at home, watching the news with his fingers crossed that no one saw him. There were no injuries, miraculously, the reporters said, but Peter happens to know that at least ten people would have died if he hadn't yanked them out of their cars. His mother had walked in on him when he was watching the news, and through the magical powers of being his mother, put two and two together and banned Peter from driving. So Peter got rid of that dream, until now, it seems.

He can feel Erik judging him the moment he tried to get out of parking mode. He succeeded, but in his excitement that he was learning how to drive, he slammed his foot down on the gas.

Two seconds into driving and he already ran over five of the professor's bushes.

Peter was still pressing the gas in a panic, except Erik had lifted the car into the air so he wasn't running anything over anymore.

"That's still the gas pedal," his father says, annoyed. "The brake is the one on the left."

"I'm pressing the left one," Peter said, annoyed. His father blinked.

"Right then." he said, then muttered quietly, so quiet Peter barely heard him, "Stupid American cars. Wheels on the wrong side, the buttons are weird..." Erik caught Peter's semi-scared look and then proceeded to mutter in Polish angrily.

Peter had almost forgotten his dad hadn't been born here. Or even lived here that long. _Well this was going to be a blast_ , he thought sarcastically. He glanced a Erik again. _My dad is teaching me how to drive..._

Sometimes, when Peter was younger, he would lay on his bed and dream about things he and his father would do together if they other met. They could walk in the park and play catch, and his father would but him ice cream and when he had to go they would hug, and Peter would get a face full of soft flannel and he would inhale his scent and wait until they got to see each other again.

But his mother never told him that ' _Hey Peter, today you'll get to meet your father.'_  Peter never got to hear his mother say things like, ' _Your father's going to pick you up today,"_  or " _come greet your father, he's home from work!"_

Peter never got to hear those things, and eventually he stopped waiting for those things to happen. He stopped dreaming. He started wondering,  _Did my father leave because he knew I'd be a freak? Did my father even want children? Did my father know what it's like, to be unable to sit still and pay attention because everything was too slow?_

One day, Peter recalled, he finally snapped and asked his mother about The Subject We Do Not Talk About.

"Did my dad hate me?" he had asked. His mother had stopped ironing her work clothes and looked at him.

"What did I tell you about asking me about your father?" she said automatically, before processing his words. Her face softened. "Oh, Peter, no, he loved children. He didn't know about you."

"He didn't know I was a freak," he had sniffed. His mother crouched down and grabbed his shoulders, looking into his watery brown gaze.

"Peter," she said firmly. "He was a mutant too. You're not a freak, you're a mutant. Like him."

Peter gasped in excitement. "He's like me?! Did he run super fast-?"

His mother cut off the questions before they could escape his mouth.

"Peter." she had said firmly. "I won't tell you everything about him. It's too dangerous. But I will say this. He could control metal and if he knew you existed, he would do everything he could to be by your side." The conversation ended quickly after. Peter tried to get more information, but was always blocked by a fierce look and a firm, _'No, Peter._ '

Once, Peter had dreamed of his father teaching him how to drive. His father would laugh and tell what every single little thing in the car could do. His father would wrap and arm around Peter and Peter would smell a faint scent of wood and he could groan jokingly at the familiar touch. It went nothing like this.

Right now, his father was cursing in Polish and levitating the car. Peter stared at him until Erik caught his gaze and stopped muttering.

"How about you press things and I feel the metal in the car and tell you if it was the right thing to do or not?" Erik suggested uncomfortably. Peter nodded slowly.

"Okay," Peter said, also uncomfortable. He shifted in his band shirt, glad that he hadn't worn his leather jacket so he wouldn't have to hear the gross sound of leather against leather.

He pressed the pedal.

"That's the gas pedal," confirmed Erik immediately. He still wore a frown on his face. "Don't press so hard."

Peter complied, and then clicked a random button. The windshield wipers went off.

"No, get those off," Erik growled. Peter hit the button again. The windshield wipers went slower. Erik growled more and waved his arm. The windshield wipers ripped themselves off and were flung away. Peter blinked. He slowly pressed another button. The trunk flipped up. Erik growled and ripped that off too. Peter hit another button. The high lights went off and reflected off the windows into their eyes. Peter squinted against the bright light, which quickly disappeared. He glanced out the window to see various bits of the car on the ground. Erik looked vaguely sheepish when Peter glanced back at him with a mostly blank face.

"We'll fix it later," Erik promised.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_  Peter wondered with a detached horror.

 

Several hours later, Charles Xavier sat in his wheelchair on the front lawn. He sighed at the literal scrap of metal floating the air, somehow fitting two people. He accidentally rolled over one of the car's destroyed car doors. The yellow paint did not seem as lively as it had when it was part of the car. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. It rang three times before the phone was picked up.

"Hi, yes," Charles said into the phone. "My name is Charles Xavier. No, Xavier. X-A-V-I-E-R. Yes, Charles. Yeah, I have something to ask. Do I have car insurance against super-powered beings destroying my car? I do? Great. Because my car has been destroyed. How much was the car? Well, it was relatively new and about a good thousand dollars. Yes, I'm aware the insurance doesn't pay full. Yes. Mmm Hmm. Thank you. Goodbye." He hung up and continued to stare at the debris.

"This is revenge for not telling him that Peter knows, isn't it?" he muttered to himself.

Then Raven stomped over to him.

"Did you tell Kurt he's my son?!" she demanded angrily. Charles blinked in surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"Did you tell Kurt he's- Don't make me repeat it!" she shouted angrily.

"Kurt's your son?" he said, bewildered. The mutant in question poofed over.

"Who was my father?" Kurt demanded, eyes wide. "Why didn't you raise me? Why-"

"Do I look like the motherly type?" Raven said, less bite in her tone than when she questioned Charles. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Why didn't you tell me, I've been right here-"

"Why doesn't anyone tell anybody in this house about familial relations?" Raven sighed, and then patted Kurt on the back. "Come inside, and I'll explain everything."

"I can make some tea," Charles offered, and Raven glared at him.

"Don't think you're not in trouble," she snapped.

"I didn't do anything!" Charles exclaimed.

A mutant student walked by and gaped at the destroyed car.

"Professor, what did you do to your car?"

Charles wanted to scream in frustration. He silently pointed up at the levitating wreck.

"Why'd you let Magneto destroy your car?" The student asked, and Charles buried his face in his hands.


	26. Something powerful lurks (and it's not good)

Fingers traced over a government file, depicting a face of a young mutant. Hungry eyes scanned the information eagerly. The man lurking in the shadows glanced at the name at the top of the sheets of paper, printed in bold, dark ink.

"Pietro Django Maximoff," he muttered quietly. His low voice carried throughout the small room the man was in. "Did you really think we didn't have security cameras in the room where we imprisoned you?"

In the background, a computer sat on a desk. On the small screen, a video was playing on repeat. It showed a cell with a familiar group of mutants. The camera feed had zoomed in on Mystique and Peter talking, and the audio looped over and over.

_"You know him? Magneto."_

_"I used to. I'm not so sure anymore."_

_"What was he like? Was he... like they say he was? Was he a... ... bad guy?"_

_"No. I mean, yeah. He was...Why do you care so much? Did you see his speech on TV or something?"_

_"Yeah, but... He's my father."_

_"What?"_

_"You know, they..."_

The audio track started from the beginning again, quiet and monotone in the dark room.

"Erik Lehnsherr, we finally have something to use against you." the voice muttered happily. "And use against all mutants."

The person in the shadows turned to a phone on the desk near them, where they quickly called someone. The phone rang three times before it was picked up by someone.

_"Hello?" A feminine voice asked suspiciously. "Who is it?"_

"It's me. Prepare the Weapon 14 program." The man bared a grin full of teeth, promising darkness and fear to come.

_"But we don't have a subject yet."_

"We will soon." The man promised.

_"Are you sure? What's his name?"_

"Peter Maximoff. I'm sending the files to you." The man glanced down at the files again, his eyes flickering in the dark lighting.

_"Got it. Anything else I should know?"_

The man paused with his maniac grin before talking in an amused voice. "Magneto is his father." The was a short pause on the other side of the line while the other person digested what he had said.

_"Really? This will be such an interesting challenge. And hopefully a fascinating subject."_

"I hope so. I'll see you soon, just after we capture him."

_"Goodbye."_

"Goodbye."

He hung up the phone quietly before turning and looking at the files again.

"Peter Maximoff, I sure hope so. I have great expectations for you..."

Stryker laughed evilly.

"You'll bring the end of them all." he promised. He glanced at the file on four words.

**Father: Erik Lehnsherr (mutant)**

"And an end to him." Stryker added.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really want to write anything Dark Phoenix related (at least not yet) and I have cursed ideas so this may be a short chapter but this story is going on an angsty train ride
> 
> sorry this chapter is short  
>  I love you guys take care I'll update hopefully tomorrow!!!


	27. Danger! (Peter is such a loser, how could this ha-!

Peter was jabbed painfully in the side. He opened his eyes, his brain moving slowly. 

"Get up, Subject 53." The guard commands, jabbing him again with his weapon. Peter scrambled to his feet in confusion.

"Wha-?" he started to say, stepping away from these strangers, his mind whirling, _where is he_ , but was interrupted by a back-handed slap. He stumbled, terrified.

"No speaking unless spoken to!"

Peter rubbed his face as he was led down a large white hallway.  _I am such a loser,_ he thinks, looking around with growing confusion and fear. _How could he have possibly gotten into this situation?_

_____________________________One day earlier_________________________________

"Hey Peter!" came a friendly shout. Peter glanced up from the newspaper that he was trying to read upside down.

"Hey Kurt." he greeted, placing the paper down. Kurt glanced at it.

"You were reading it upside down," he commented in confusion.

"I know, but I was  _trying_  to read it upside down." Peter said in amusement. "What did you want anyways?"

"Oh!" The blue mutant sat up, and leaned close to Peter.

"Raven won't tell me who my father is" Kurt whispered quietly. Peter pulled back in surprise. "I think it's a touchy subject for her."

"Really?" Peter said, startled into speaking loudly.

"Shh!" Kurt hissed, glancing around. Luckily, there was no one else in the room. He looked back to Peter. "I want to go into town and get her something nice. Maybe if she feels better, she will tell me something."

Peter hummed thoughtfully, his mind whirling. "Alright," he said instead. "We can go into town, but I can't drive."

"Neither can I," admitted Kurt. "But I thought Erik tried to teach you?"

Peter chuckled. "Did you see how well that turned out?"

Kurt winced.

"Yeah," Peter said. He looked thoughtful. "I think Scott knows how to drive."

Kurt nodded, and they agreed to ask Scott to drive them into town.

Scott was not pleased.

"I have homework," he growled, and shut the door in their faces.

"Hey," said Peter. "Can't you teleport us there?"

Kurt looked surprised, and then thoughtful. "Oh yeah! I don't know why I didn't think of that!" He grabbed Peter's arm and disappeared in a cloud of black and blue smoke.

Peter had never teleported with Kurt before. It was a really weird sensation of disappearing and all the scenery changing and even with his super speed Peter thought there was a small moment when there was np scenery and they were surrounded by pitch black. Like a void. It creeped Peter out and he immediately decided never to teleport again. He'd take his super speed, thank you very much.

"Man, that was weird," he said instead. Kurt shrugged in response and they made their way through some shops.

"Do you think she would like clothes or jewelry?" Kurt asked. Peter shrugged.

"I don't know, man. Couldn't she just, shape shift any clothing and jewelry she wanted on?" Peter asked, and Kurt looked dejected. His blue tail twitched sadly.

"You're right. What should I get her then?" Kurt asked hopelessly. Peter shrugged again.

"I don't know, we'll find something." They walked out of the store and walked along until they heard a sound from an alleyway.

"Hey, did you hear something?" Peter asked suddenly, stopping to look down the alley. He didn't see anything.

"Yeah," Kurt said. "Come on!" He started to walk away.

"Hold on, I wanna see what it was." Peter said, taking a step into the alley.

"Peter," whined Kurt. As soon as the sound left his mouth, darts flew through the air, hitting Peter and Kurt in the neck.

"Oww!" Peter yelped, bringing a hand to his neck. He pulled the dart out of his neck. his eyes widened.  _Oh crap._  He turned to Kurt.

Kurt, yelping, yanked his dart off him. "Peter!" he cried out in terror, but was hit by another dart. He staggered forwards, tripped, and with a surprised sound, was gone, a cloud of black and blue sulfur fading away, instinctively, teleporting away from Peter and the impact of the floor, getting away from the danger.

"Coward," muttered Peter unhelpfully, feeling petty. The darts didn't really matter to him, with his metabolism, but he supposed he should get moving as well. Another dart hit his arm during his train of thought. Grimacing, he yanked that one out too. "Oww, guys, seriously? I have a heightened metabolism, this is as annoying as a fly," he quipped, but no sooner than he had spoken, black spots appeared in his vision. he felt a flicker of fear.  _They must have used a powerful sedative. They must know about my metabolism. How do they know about my metabolism? Does Kurt have my metabolism? How did he not collapse? Oh right, he teleported away._ He wondered woozily. His thoughts seemed to slow down, become sluggish. He caught himself staring blankly at the dart in his hand.  _This is bad, this is so very bad. Why hadn't he ran away already? He's got to make it back to the mansion. The mansion was safe. Erik and Charles can protect us. They can stop whatever this is, this attack. Why are they attacking me?_ He took an unbalanced step backwards and fell down. Dimly, he realized he should be panicking.  _I have to... I got to... I..._ He pressed his palms against the concrete, ready to push himself up, but a blurry figure in his darkening vision knocked him down with a firm kick to his side. He rolled over, groaning slightly.  _That hurt. Why did he kick me?_ Peter's thoughts clouded in confusion. _What's that sound? Did he kick Kurt too?_ He glanced over, but Kurt was gone.  _Where did Kurt go? Oh wait, the sound was him, groaning. Right._  the dark figure crouched over him.  _Who is that?_  He thought vaguely.

The figure crouching in front of him took his pulse. Letting go of his arm, Peter watched distantly as his own arm flopped back to the ground.  _Why won't my arm move?_  He tried to move his arm, but it seemed too exhausting. He blinked slowly. He was really tired.

"Sweet dreams, Maximoff." Their voice chuckled.  _Their voice sounds familiar? Who...?_

He blinked slowly again. It was getting hard to keep his eyes open. He was so tired. He felt himself getting picked up.

_...What...?_

Then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally my tags I posted at the very beginning when I first started working on this will actually start to make sense


	28. His son is in danger! (Erik blames himself)

Erik thought that today was going to be a really nice day. He really did. He had an uneventful morning. He woke up slowly. He made toast for him and Charles. He drank coffee. He argued with Charles with their infamous discussion of tea or coffee. He read a nice book. But then Kurt teleported into the mansion, holding a dart loosely in his fingertips. Erik sprang to his feet, memories of all the dangers of being a mutant leaping to the front of his mind. Kurt staggered forward, but Raven was there, seemly out of nowhere, holding him up with a surprising amount of gentleness.

"What happened?" she cried, alarmed.

"Peter..." was all the small blue mutant had to say before he passed out. He slumped forward, but Raven carried his weight. She carefully laid him on the floor.

Erik's eyes widened. His son was in danger!

He froze, ice in his veins. He felt like he couldn’t move, although he knew he could. Nonetheless, he stood still. The world didn’t slow down, but it seemed to mute itself. He felt his heart speed up in his chest. Terror flooded him.

"Charles," he wheezed sharply.  _Why was he out of breath?_ He sank to his knees, struggling to breathe.

Charles was there in an instant, Hank by his side. Hands were placed on his shoulders.

 **"Breathe, Erik. Match your breaths with mine,** " Charles said, both out loud and in Erik's mind. They sat there for a moment, quiet, before Erik growled in frustration. He had no time to panic like this, he had to go out and save his son. He locked eyes with Charles as he struggled to maintain slow breaths. Charles seemed to understand what Erik wanted him to do. He rolled over to the blue mutant lying prone on the ground and carefully reached down to place his hand on Kurt's forehead. He gasped sharply in fear and looked up. Erik felt even more terrified when Charles met his eyes.

"Stryker," Charles said, and it was just one word, a name, but Erik thinks the last time he felt so afraid was when his mother was killed. His breathing sped up again, his throat feeling tight.

"We have to get him back," Hank said, looking up from Kurt.  _Of course!_  Erik thought in a moment of anger.  _How could Hank be so stupid? There was no way he going to leave Peter in the hands of Stryker!_

Erik groaned quietly. _Life as a mutant is never easy! Why did Erik think they were safe? They were never safe! How could Erik let Peter even out of his sight like that?_

"Erik, calm down." Charles said. He gently placed a hand on Erik's knee. His eyes betrayed his calm exterior. "We will find him and get him back," he promised.  _How can you be so sure? How do you_ _know?_ A distressed whine started to slip out of his mouth, but no one commented on it, thankfully.

"Where could Stryker even be?" Hank mused out loud.

"Well," Raven said, straightening herself, "We could check the place where he took us last time."

"What?" Erik asked in confusion, sitting up attentively. Raven shrugged. 

"After the mansion exploded, Stryker tried to kidnap us. We escaped." She intoned blandly.

"Stryker kidnapped you and you guys didn't say anything? Who knows how many mutants he's kidnapped before!" Erik raged. It was easier to change his fear into anger, since anger was something Erik was used to. He focused on this fact. "How many mutants do you think Stryker has kidnapped, or experimented on, or killed?" He forced himself to his feet and stepped forward.

"Erik!" Charles said sharply, and Erik froze. He turned and met Charles' gaze, eyes wide.  _All these things could be happening to Peter,_ he thought.

"We will get Peter back." Charles repeated, steel entering his voice. He turned to Raven. "Do you know where you were?"

"Not really," Raven admitted, "but it was nearby. Pennsylvania, I think. Hank did all the flying in the jet when we left for Cairo."

"He drugged you?" Erik said sharply, and Raven shook her head, frowning.

"No, he used some sort of force field wave gun thingy." Raven frowned. "It knocked us all out. But Jean and Scott and Kurt said it took about an hour. They snuck on the helicopter to rescue us."

"Oh?" Charles frowned. "I didn't hear about this."

"Then ask them!" Erik burst out. "Or better yet, ask Jean. Wait." His mind began to work. Jean. Telepathy. Cerebro. Charles could use Cerebro. "Charles, couldn't you use Cerebro?"

Charles' face lit up. "That's a great idea!" he praised, and despite the situation, Erik smiled back. "I can use Cerebro while Raven talks to Jean!" He began to wheel away. "Erik, come with me. Hank, move Kurt to the medical room," He ordered gently, and everyone began to move around.

Erik exhaled quietly as he followed Charles. _Everything would be okay,_ he told himself, but the feeling of terror didn't go away. He knew when he was lying to himself.

_God, how could he let this happen?_

_His son is in danger._

Hank watched everyone scramble about.

"No one asked me for the place even though I was the one flying the jet away from the base," he murmured out loud, confused. He sighed, shaking his head. "I'll ready the jet."

 


	29. Peter (and his mistakes)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hnnggg how do write torture scene

Peter was shocked when he led to a treadmill by the guards who dragged him out of some white room. He had just woken up and now he was here before he had even processed what had happened to him. The room was lit the same color of green as when he and the others had been locked up by the Stryker dude. Was that who kidnapped him? His head felt foggy but he was pretty sure it was that government guy. He looked around in confusion. He was expecting a hospital bed, needles, experiments, or weapons, to hit him and see how long it would take for him to heal, to see how many drugs could effect him before his metabolism would burn them off. But no, here he was, in a circular room that was made of the same green lights and a strange floor made of some kind of black rubber material. He wasn't expecting that. Which was his first mistake.

"Hello, Peter." came the same eerie voice as the last time he was in a room like this. Yup. Stryker.

"You're that dude," Peter said unhelpfully. he looked up to see a tinted window with the silhouette of a military man. Yup. That guy. Kind of annoying. How did he escape? Didn't Jean and Scott sic some weird mutant on him? "Military guy."

"The name is Major William Stryker. But you'll remember it eventually." the man's voice seemed to smirk.

"No I won't." Peter said. "I don't care what your name is."

"And I don't care what your name is, Subject 53." The man retorted. Peter winced upon hearing the general's new name for him. _Subject 53? He wasn't some subject, he was a person! Also did that mean 53 mutants were experimented on before him? How many survived?_

 _"_ Subject 53 File #4," droned Stryker, and Peter wondered if he even cared that Peter could hear him. "Testing of mutation: Super Speed. We will be focusing on how fast Subject 53 can go. After this experiment we will focus on endurance and do a complete physical."

"Ha," snorted Peter. "I can go faster than any treadmill you drag in here."

"That's where you're wrong," Stryker said calmly. "I keep a track on any mutants that I encounter, and I built this room with your mutation in mind."

Suddenly, the floor beneath him shifted, and Peter stumbled, off balance. He straightened up and looked at the ground in confusion. At first, he didn't notice anything, but then he realized what was going. He let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

The strange black rubber floor was a treadmill. The entire room was a treadmill.

"What the heck?!" Peter cried as he moved closer to the green wall where the edge of the treadmill ended. The treadmill pushed him against the wall.

Peter cried out in pain as he was electrocuted. Belatedly, as he stumbled backwards away from the thing causing him pain, he recalled the last time he was in Stryker's clutches. 

_"I wouldn't get too close to the wall if I were you," Stryker sneered at Raven. "I may create some... discomfort."_

_"_ Come on Peter, get with the program," Stryker drawled. "I'm going to pick up the speed now." True to his word, the floor moved slightly faster, bring Peter back to the wall.

Leaping backwards, Peter looked around at the room, eyeing the edges where the wall met the floor.  _The only choice I have is to run_ , he realized. He reluctantly matched the treadmill's speed, after darting into the center of the floor.

"It's set to go faster every twenty seconds," Stryker droned and then reached forward. With a crackle, the speakers turned off.

And so Peter ran. He didn't know how long he ran, but after four minutes or so he had to kick into super speed and then he had no idea how long he ran because everything was slow. Peter walked in super speed, scoffing at Stryker in his mind until eventually he was jogging in super speed, then running, and soon Peter was sprinting. He started to get worried. 

And then he tripped over his own feet.

The floor threw him backwards into the wall at high speed, knocking all the air out of him. Then the wall electrocuted him.

The floor slowed down as Peter forced himself away from the wall, gasping and wheezing.

"He has the potential to go to the speed of sound, for sure," Stryker sounded pleased as boots entered Peter's vision and guards picked him up. "Put him in his cell for an hour, then prepare him for a physical. I wanna know how he does it." Stryker's face loomed over Peter's. "Congratulations, Subject 53," he said. "Your mutation is helpful enough to the future of humans that we will not currently terminate you. Thank you for your service to humankind," he leered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid that I've been fairly busy, so while the chapters themselves will be ready to update, I just have to find a time to update them, and a good memory to remember to update them lol


	30. Peter has a high metabolism (for drugs. Peter LOVES being able to feel people digging into his leg!)

The moment Peter was thrown into his cell, the door was slammed and locked behind him. He hit the walls and yelled with a mixture of desperation and rage for what felt like a solid thirty minutes before his anger faded, leaving just fear. He had punched all the walls, thrown himself against the door, searched for any other kind of exit. No such luck. It was just him, his cell, and an old gray blanket.

 _Am I supposed to sleep on the floor?_ he asked himself. _I don't even get a pillow? What am I, some kind of animal?_

 _To Stryker you are just an animal,_ the darker part of his brain reminded him. _Less than an animal. Maybe not even a living creature._  Peter glanced away from the blanket immediately.

Then, the door opened. Peter's head shot up and he threw himself towards the guards, hoping to pass by them andbut they were ready and one held a little black box in their hand and Peter suddenly fell to the floor, in pain. _Either I have a bad sense of time, or the guards arrived early_ , he thought dizzily, before his brain informed him that the guards were placing something around his neck, heavy and metal and cold and _choking, it was choking me I can't breathe I can't breathe, there's something on my neck get it off get it off of me-_

The guards released him and Peter threw himself backwards, hand around his neck to _tear it off tear it off get it away from me breathe breathe let me breathe get it off-_

Peter was electrocuted again. He noticed it was because of the little black box.  _Is that what a taser looks like?_  He wondered.

The guard with the taser barked orders. "Activate the collar and send Subject 53 to the examination." Another guard fiddled with something and the thing around Peter's neck let out a short beep.

"A collar?" Peter gasped, still struggling for air but no longer panicking because he could breathe, it just felt choking. "A collar? Seriously? Wow. What's it do?"

"This." one of the guards smirked, and suddenly Peter was out like a light.

When he came to, he was strapped down to an examination table.

"What?" he managed to say in confusion. A scientist loomed over him, holding a scalpel.

"The tranquilizers have worn off surprisingly quickly. If Subject 53's mutation burns it off that quickly, the pain relievers may not work on them," They informed someone out of Peter's line of sight. Peter struggled to turn his head, and lo and behold, it was Stryker. Peter wasn't really sure who he expected it to be.

"Perform the examination anyways. I want to see how it works." Stryker ordered.

The scientist inserted an IV and other weird things Peter didn't recognize. He didn't watch many medical shows, but he recognized the heart monitor, which made crazy sounds the second it was attached to Peter. The scientist and Stryker leaned towards it in interest.

"His heart must be pumping too fast for it monitor, so it looks like he's flatlining," The scientist said. "Also, his blood pressure is higher than a normal human's. His oxygen saturation is incredibly high, I guess because he moves so fast that he needs all the extra energy. His temperature is at 35 degrees Celsius, but there's no sign of hypothermia." Stryker cleared his throat, and the doctor looked at him quickly.

"We're in America." Stryker said. The doctor looked apologetic.

"95 degrees Fahrenheit." Stryker grunted, but his eyes gleamed with interest as he scanned Peter again.

"And no signs of hypothermia, you say?"

"No, sir," the scientist replied, shaking their head. Peter stuck his tongue out at Stryker, unable to really do anything else.

"Seriously?" Peter said. "We're in America?" he mocked. Stryker locked eyes with Peter.

"Begin examination." he droned, eyes gleaming sadistically. The doctor picked up the scalpel and cut into his leg. Peter howled.

"Interesting," the scientist breathed, and Peter regretted even trying to stand up for them, even if it was to poke at Stryker.

"Take muscle and tissue samples," Stryker droned, and the scientist nodded.

Peter screamed and really wished for once in its life, his biology wasn't so cool.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhgngng how do write torture scene


	31. Erik Can't Promise (to protect, to not kill, whatever.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: cussing, magneto mass-murders some people but I don't go into horrible detail

Erik swore to himself that he could never give up hope, and he would never stop searching.

"Load up, X-men!" Hank called from the pilot's seat of the X Jet. Raven checked that everyone was strapped in. Charles was in his wheelchair, by the ramp entrance, waiting for Erik.

"I can't leave the students alone," he said as Erik approached. "I'll be watching from Cerebro." Erik nodded and moved by Charles to step onto the jet, but Charles caught his sleeve. "Erik," he said. "Promise me you won't kill everyone."

Erik looked at Charles, annoyed and astounded.

"Charles," he said, struggling to convey his emotions, "They hurt my son."

"You don't know that," Charles said, and winced as soon as he said it. Erik scoffed.

"You don't believe that."

"I have to believe there's good in everything, Erik," Charles said futilely. Erik snorted and Charles shook his grip on Erik's sleeve, shaking Erik's arm. "Do. Not. Kill. Everyone." he begged.

Erik frowned, thankful for his helmet. "I can't promise that." he said.

"Please," Charles begged, but Erik was resolute.

"I can never promise that, Charles." he repeated.

Behind him, Erik could hear Raven shout, "Hurry up, Erik!" Carefully, he pried Charles' desperate fingers off of his sleeve.

"I'm sorry, Charles," he said, but Charles wasn't looking at him.

"Fuck you, Erik." Charles said, refusing to make eye contact. Erik stared at Charles, every fiber of his being wanting to kneel down and grab Charles' hand and beg for forgiveness and never do anything to harm Charles' feelings again. But family triumphs over affection, and Erik forced himself to step away.

"I'm sorry, Charles," he said, and his voice cracked at the end. "They hurt my family. I'm sorry."

Charles stared at the ground, his face partially obscured by not facing Erik, but Erik still caught sight of furrowed eyebrows and saw Charles' shaking shoulders.

Regretfully, Erik boarded the plane. He was too afraid to ask himself if Charles had been crying. He sat down quietly as Hank pressed the buttons to turn the X-Jet invisible.

"Jeez," Raven said. "What took you so long?" Hank started the plane's ascent.

"Just talking to Charles," Erik said, and Raven snorted.

"Getting in your last minute smooching?" she teased, and Erik looked away.

"Something like that," he said, voice bland. Raven couldn't be farther from the truth. Raven proceeded to tease him until they entered Pennsylvania, which is when everyone fell silent.

"Five minutes out to Three Mile Island," Hank said from the pilot's seat. Erik saw Scott shiver, and Jean place a hand on his shoulder. Kurt's tail twitched, and Raven glanced at the blue mutant with an unrecognizable emotion in her eyes. But Erik recognized when he accidentally looked in the mirror after talking to Peter. It was a tender gaze, with a steely determined core.

 _I love you, and I'm going to protect you,_  that gaze said. and Erik failed that silent promise. He closed his eyes and breathed quietly, feeling the rage bubble up inside him again.

_I failed to protect him, but that doesn't mean I won't avenge him._

The plane landed, and everyone left through the doors as soon as they opened. The soldiers milling about were running and shouting with surprise when the X-Jet became visible. Alarms flashed, and people ran for cover and weapons, but they were too late.

Erik bared his teeth with rage and threw his arms out, grabbing tons of metal and shredding it, flinging the copper and tin fro guns everywhere, away from the road, or into people, or dragging the aluminum and steel and iron from their military vehicles and fences and ripping everything apart.

He could barely see Scott's lasers or hear Hank's roars or feel the weight of Raven's knowledgable, concerned gaze.

Scott burned a hole through the front doors and the X-Men ran in, ready for battle.

 

 

 

Magneto gazed around, eyes passing over the carnage with ease. He focused his gaze on the few remaining soldiers.

"What do you mean, he's not here?" he growled in shock. Raven stepped past him to lift one of the men up by the collar of their shirts.

"One year ago, Stryker held mutants here," she said, voice ice cold. "Where did he move bases to? Why?"

"I don't know!" shouted the man. "Some of the mutants escaped by freeing Weapon X, and Weapon X killed everybody except Stryker, so he just moved bases!"

"Where did he go?" Raven barked, and the man cowered further.

"I don't know! I don't know!" he sobbed. "He likes being near the border of Canada. He hopes to catch Weapon X near there. I don't know where!" Raven dropped him.

"I can't believe this," Erik snarled. "Peter isn't here. Stryker isn't here. What a waste." With a flick of his hand, he decapitated the men with metal he had previously flung around. All the teen X-Men flinched and Erik felt the smallest flicker of remorse. Raven growled at him and placed an arm around Kurt.

"Sorry," he said after a pause. "I should have told you to look away first."

"That's not the problem here!" Scott finally burst out. "You killed everyone!"

"Are you saying Raven didn't kill anyone? That you didn't kill anyone?" Scott paled with Raven huffed.

"Did I kill someone?" Scott said, shaking. "I aimed away from them, Jean and the others could take people out. I just dealt with the defenses."

Hank stepped forward to protect Raven's honor.

"You killed, Erik. We incapacitate." He stepped forward. "We weren't supposed to kill, Erik! They are living beings! Just knock them out! Not murder!" Erik did not flinch from Hank's harsh gaze. This was a point of contention amongst everyone.

"Were they 'just following orders'?" he growled, and Hank's gaze dropped. They all knew the importance of that phrase. Erik started his speech. "Everyone's 'just following orders'. The men who killed both of my families were 'just following orders'. Any soldier, any killer, any Nazi or military man in the world is following orders." He moved his face closer to Hank's. "Stryker might be 'just following orders', but I'm going to kill him. Painfully and slowly." After a pause, Erik added with his voice low and deadly, "Fuck you." Hank flinched.

Erik straightened up slowly.

"I am going to kill Stryker whether you like it or not. Some crimes, even when they say they are 'just following orders', are unforgivable." he said to the whole group, as if they couldn't hear what he said before. Then he turned and stalked towards the jet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only three people have the right to cuss in the story
> 
> 1\. Erik  
> 2\. Charles  
> 3\. Peter (only while he's in pain, though.)  
> 4\. Me (lmao)
> 
>  
> 
> incapacitate: prevent from functioning in a normal way (Did I look this word up because Erik can be eloquent and probably uses Big Brain words? Maybe. I honestly thought the definition was like, knock people out but same thing I guess)


	32. Peter is the king of sass (but is that a good thing?)

After the 'examination', (which was really just pain and scalpels and Stryker looming in the background, muttering "Interesting," every ten minutes like the creep he is) they let Peter go back to his cell for a whole day to lick his wounds like a dog. Metaphorically, though. Not physically. 

"Why can you lick your knee but not your elbow?" Peter wondered out loud. He poked the surgical stitches on his leg from where they cut him open and winced. "Well, I mean, you can't lick the back of your knee. That evens the playing field, I suppose. I suppose you can lick the inside of your elbow."

"Talking to yourself?" Stryker asked, sounding amused. Peter's head shot up in surprise, but there was no one there.

"Now I'm imagining things." Peter replied, like an idiot.

"Intercom, stupid." Stryker mocked, and Peter blinked.  _Of course. It's not like he saw Stryker come in or anything, and he's only been captured for three days. It's not like he's gone insane yet._

"Anyways," Stryker continued, "I have results from your examination." Peter's door opened to reveal guards. "If you'd come with us quietly...?" Peter snorted, standing up.

"Not a chance in he-"

 

Peter woke up outside of a door, having been dragged down the hallway by the guards.

"Ugh," he groaned, his mind feeling like someone forcibly shoved clouds into his head through his ears, "You guys need to seriously stop doing it that." The door in front of him opened after one of the guards entered the passcode to the lock on the door. Peter briefly wondered if he should start memorizing passcodes. You know, for if he was going to escape.  _For WHEN I'm going to escape,_ he told himself sternly.

"They've only done it twice," said Stryker from inside the room, looking amused. The room was a pale grey, with buzzing fluorescent lights instead of the green electrifying ones. Behind the major, a strange contraption filled the room. It looked like a metal chair with restraints and all sort of horrifying metal junk on it. Peter swallowed nervously.

"So," the mutant said instead, "Results." He made sure to put as much boredom and sarcasm as possible into that one word. Stryker brightened and a slow, evil smile covered his face. Peter blinked, unsettled.

"Ah, yes," he said, rubbing his hands together in a stereotypical evil fashion. Peter resisted the urge to say, "Really?"

 

_Oh wait, Peter had NO reason NOT to annoy Stryker._

"Really?" he said, snorting with disbelief. Stryker growled in annoyance, stepped forward and swiftly punched Peter in the diaphragm, successfully and expertly knocking all the air out of him. The guards released Peter, who collapsed on the ground, struggling for air. "Oof," he tried to say, rubbing his chest weakly, but all that came out of his mouth was a groan.

"I know you can still hear me, so I'm going to continue while I still can without being interrupted," Stryker said smoothly, fixing the sleeve of his military uniform.  "Your results. It's all in the way your body is designed, which is so close to humans and yet definitely not. We'd need to enhance them long before they were soldiers. In the womb or something," Stryker rubbed his forehead and sighed. Peter focused on slowing his breaths. "Too science-y. Disappointing. But we have other uses for you." The major gestured the contraption behind him.

"'Too science-y'?" Peter mocked from the floor. "Are you always so stupid or is today a special occasion?" Stryker glanced down with mild annoyance and disinterest. 

"Already have your breath back? Inconvenient." He addressed the guards. "Rough him up a bit while I prepare the machine." Stryker turned away, and seconds later there was the sound of a boot hitting its mark and a bit back cry. Stryker called over his shoulder.

"How tall do you think he is?" the reply from one of the guards was immediate.

"About 6 feet, sir." Stryker hummed. 

"Tall." There was no response, just another short sound of pain. Stryker glanced over his shoulder with feigned disinterest to see one guard send a forceful punch to the silver mutant's jaw.

"Stop!" he barked, and the men froze. "Don't mess with his face, if he gets a concussion there's no telling how effective the machine will be." He growled. "And then you'll have to pay." Neither one of the guards gulped in fear but their faces shined with nervousness.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. Won't happen again, sir." they replied together.

"See that, Subject 53?" Stryker said, pleased. "That is how someone is supposed to treat authority." He pressed the last button on the machinery's controls and stepped towards the mutant, lifting his chin upwards with one finger.

Peter's eyes burned with anger and pain, and there was a nice bruise already forming on his jawline.

"They got you good," Stryker said, voice clinical and unattached. He turned to the guards and gestured to the chair. "Strap him in." The guards hurried to do so, dragging Peter over roughly. Stryker couldn't contain his small huff of sadistic amusement when one of the guards tied the mutant's arm down too tightly and Peter grimaced in pain. Peter glanced up, irritated that Stryker was finding amusement in this.

“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings when I called you stupid earlier." Peter said sweetly. "I really thought you already knew.” Stryker growled to himself. "We don't need to resort to bondage," Peter continued sarcastically, "It was just a small argument, we don't need kinky break up sex." Stryker snarled lowly in irritation.

"Punch him again." One of the guards delivered another punch to the mutant's already aching chest and Peter wheezed in pain.

"Do you know what this is, Subject 53?" Stryker hissed, stepping closer to the tied up subject. "This is a special machine. We borrowed it from our friends at HYDRA." Peter looked confused. Stryker didn't care. "They love experimenting on people without their consent," he said, and Peter's eyes widened in nervousness, though he quickly concealed it. "But what they love more is absolute control. Like this brainwashing machine?" Stryker tapped it fondly. "Scrubs every bit of personality, memories, and uniqueness out of your head. A perfect soldier. And while HYDRA wants to make a super soldier, I say, why not use the ones the world has already given us?" He placed the helmet on the mutant's head firmly and strapped it on.

Peter's eyes widened in fear, and Stryker laughed cruelly. 

"Now you get it. Well, buckle up, Subject 53. I've heard this takes a while." Stryker headed to the controls to start the machine, then paused. "Put some duct tape over his mouth," He commanded to the guards. "I've heard this is painful, and I'd rather not get a headache listening to his screaming all day." The guards rushed to comply.

Before pressing the button, he turned to Peter, grinning.

"Good luck, Subject 53. You better survive this. I've put in an annoying amount of effort, and so far you haven't been worth it."

He pressed the button.


	33. Peter remembers (Do it again.) He remembers... (Do It Again.) He... Remembers...? (DO IT AGAIN.)

"Subject 53. State your name."

"... what?"

"Subject 53. State your name."

"My name is Peter, not Subject 53!"

Stryker frowned. "He remembers still." His voice was dull and uninterested.

"Hey, you're that guy, the one that captured us! How did I get here? I was at the mansion?" Stryker raised an eyebrow in interest and looked the speedster in the eyes.

"Tell me about the mansion, Peter." he said.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Peter scoffed. "I'm not telling you anything." Stryker leaned back in disappointment.

"Take him to his room." Stryker instructed over his shoulder as he turned to face the door. "In 24 hours, notify me. We'll see if there are any long term effects and then do it again."

 

 

 

 

"You little rat motherfu-!" A guard slapped Peter immediately.

"Now, now," Stryker chided. "We don't curse in front of our superiors."

"Isn't my species called homo superior?" Peter said, distantly recalling something Charles said. Charles liked talking about his old college essays on mutants. He read them to the children who were in bed about to go to sleep. Luckily, Charles was aware that the essays could put people to sleep.

Stryker snarled. "Punch him." The guard complied.

"Do you remember now? Is your short term memory back? I'm asking for science, and, I suppose, we can't destroy your brain too badly. We do need it. Most of it." Stryker mused out loud.

"I remember everything," seethed Peter.

"Then you remember the machine!" Stryker said, gesturing at it. "Disappointing. Your repeated look of fear and shock was going to make my day."

The men began to drag Peter over, who struggled. A quick shock courtesy of a taser stopped him quickly.

"We're going to need to put some sort of shock collar on you," Stryker mused. "Like a dog."

"You're a sadistic man, Stryker." Peter snapped, running out of energy to annoy Stryker further.

"That's 'Sir' to you," Stryker said blandly. He turned on the machine.

 

 

 

 

"Subject 53. State your name."

"... what?"

"Subject 53. State your name."

"..."

"State your name. Now."

"I think... Peter. Yeah, Peter Maximoff."

Stryker blinked, but his voice was still dull and uninterested. "Interesting. Write down: Short term memory loss, confusion."

"Hey, you're that guy, the one that captured us! How did I get here? I was at the mansion?" Stryker raised an eyebrow in interest and looked the speedster in the eyes.

"Tell me about the mansion, Peter." he said.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Peter scoffed. "I'm not telling you anything." Stryker leaned back in disappointment.

"Take him to his room. I want to see how long it takes before it wears off, if it does wear off." Stryker instructed over his shoulder as he turned to face the door. "In 24 hours, notify me. We'll see if there are any longer effects and then do it again."

 

 

 

 

"Screw you, you piece of-!" A guard punched Peter's face before he could finish his sentence.

"Now, now," Stryker chided. Peter hissed as a response. "Do you remember now? Is your short term memory back? I'm asking for science, and, I suppose, we can't destroy your brain too badly. We do need it. Most of it." Stryker mused out loud.

"I remember everything," seethed Peter.

"Then you remember the machine." Stryker said, gesturing at it. "Disappointing."

The men began to drag Peter over, who started to struggle but was tased again.

"Note: make a shock collar. We will actually need it, I think." Stryker ordered his men.

"I'm going to fight forever," Peter snarled tiredly.

"You forgot 'Sir'." Stryker said blandly. He turned on the machine.

 

 

 

"Subject 53. State your name."

"... what?"

"Subject 53. State your name."

"..."

"State your name. Now."

"I... Peter sounds right. Yeah, Peter Maximoff."

"What do you remember last, Peter?" Stryker's voice was calm.

"I... I feel like I was somewhere, doing something important. Something for my family? But that feels like a while ago. I don't..."

"It's alright." Stryker said, voice bland. "You're experiencing confusion. These men will lead you to your room. I'll check in a few hours."

 

 

 

"You little rat motherfu-!" Peter's mouth was covered by a guard's hand, which he promptly licked in retaliation. Alas, the guard was wearing a glove and it did no damage.

"Now, now," Stryker chided. "You know the drill. What do you remember?"

"...Everything," Peter hissed, and Stryker sighed.

"Normally I would question that hesitation, but honestly, you could afford to suffer a bit. No matter. You remember enough. We'll get it right eventually. Put him back in the machine."

 

 

 

"Subject 53. State your name."

"... what?"

"Subject 53. State your name."

"..."

"State your name. Now."

"...I... I think... Peter? Yeah, Peter sounds right. Peter... Peter...

Stryker stood straighter, making eye contact with the speedster. 

"No," he said, voice dull and uninterested. "Your name is Weapon XIV. Weapon Fourteen."

"Weapon Fourteen doesn't sound like a real name," Peter said dubiously. "Peter sounds like a real name. I like Peter more."

"Too bad, because your name is Weapon Fourteen." Stryker frowned. "What else do you remember?"

Peter frowned. "I... I was looking for my father."

"Your father?" Stryker leaned forwards, interested. "Do tell. Any info on your parentage could greatly help us."

"I broke him out of the pentagon?" Peter shook his head. "I don't think I should be telling you this."

"You're confused. The effects will wear off soon. Please, follow the guards to your room. I'll see you later." Stryker turned to his men after the guards led Peter out of the room.

"Did you hear that?" he breathed excitedly, voice higher pitched than normal. "He confirmed Magneto was his father. I'd forgotten to do the blood tests."

 

 

 

"You little rat-" A guard slapped Peter's face, bored. Peter snarled at the guard.

"Now, now," Stryker said. "Mind your manners."

"Screw you-!" Peter was punched in the face but the annoyed guard.

"He just doesn't know when to stop, does he?" Stryker chuckled. He faced the mutant.

"You know the drill, yes?"

"What drill?" Stryker raised and eyebrow, a hint of a smile.

"That's all I need to know." Stryker waved at the machine behind him. "Do you know what this is?"

Peter shook his head, and rolled his eyes. "What does it matter, weirdo? Wait, aren't you that government guy?" Stryker smiled cruelly in response.

"This is a special machine. We borrowed it from our friends at HYDRA." Peter looked confused. Stryker didn't care. "They love experimenting on people without their consent," he said, and Peter's eyes widened in nervousness, though he quickly concealed it. "But what they love more is absolute control. Like this brainwashing machine?" Stryker tapped it fondly. "Scrubs every bit of personality, memories, and uniqueness out of your head. A perfect soldier. And while HYDRA wants to make a super soldier, I say, why not use the ones the world has already given us?" He placed the helmet on the mutant's head firmly and strapped it on.

Peter's eyes widened in fear, and Stryker laughed cruelly. 

"Now you get it. Well, buckle up, Subject 53. This has been taking a while." Stryker headed to the controls to start the machine, then paused. "I was right. It was fun seeing the look of fear on your face again."

"Again?" Peter echoed, confused.

Stryker pressed the button.

 

 

 

"Subject 53. State your name."

"... what?"

"Subject 53. State your name."

"..."

"State your name. Now."

"I... I don't... I think it starts with a P? Pe... I don't know..."

Stryker leaned into Subject 53's personal space, making eye contact with the speedster. 

"No," he said, voice dull and uninterested. "Your name is Weapon XIV. Weapon Fourteen."

"Weapon Fourteen doesn't sound like a real name," Subject 53 said dubiously.

"Your name is Weapon Fourteen." Stryker frowned lightly.

"Okay?" Weapon Fourteen said slowly. "Weapon Fourteen." Stryker clapped his hands.

"You're confused," Stryker said. "That's okay. I'll check in on you in a few hours." He turned to dismiss Weapon Fourteen.

"Wait!" Stryker turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you?" Weapon Fourteen asked.

"We'll see if you can remember in a few hours first, okay?" Stryker said, and Weapon Fourteen slowly nodded their head. "Good. Off you go. These men will accompany you."

 

 

 

"I- I'm back," Weapon Fourteen said. Stryker smirked.

"So you are. Do you remember anything?"

"Not really," Weapon Fourteen confessed. "Except... I don't think Weapon Fourteen was my name."

"It is," Stryker assured, but Weapon Fourteen shook his head.

"No, no, it started with a P. I'm sure of it! I've been trying to figure it out all day and I can't, but it started with a P."

Stryker smiled. "In that case, I think we can safely say that one more time ought to do it."

"One more what?" Weapon Fourteen asked. 

Stryker didn't reply, he just pressed the button.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this is repetitive but honestly I was having writer's block until this idea hit me


	34. Weapon XIV has a mission (Kill, Sir said. Weapon XIV complied.)

"Who are you?"

"Call me Sir."

"Okay." Sir led Weapon 14 to a room with a cot on the side, and blank walls. Sir turned to Weapon 14.

"This is your room." Weapon Fourteen nodded.

"Okay." Sir looked annoyed.

"Please refer to me as 'Sir'." he said.

"Okay... Sir?" Weapon Fourteen said, and Sir nodded approvingly.

"Sleep for the next four hours. Training will begin after that and you will receive your combat suit." Sir said, and left promptly.

"Okay Sir," Weapon Fourteen said to an empty room. He looked around. The room had blank walls, and wasn't too small or too large. And yet part of him said this was a cell. Which, clearly, it wasn't. It was a room. A good room. Sir said so.

 

 

The rules, according to Sir:

1) Weapon Fourteen must not use super speed during training

"How are we supposed to teach you if you just use your super speed?" His instructor said. Sir was luring in the back of the room. The room was spacious, with lots of training equipment, but the floor was hard and cold.

It was hard to tell when he was in super speed and when he wasn't, but Weapon Fourteen assumed that if they hit him, then he was doing it right.

 

2) Weapon Fourteen can not fight back

The instructor knows exactly how to deliver a painful punch, and he tries it out of Weapon Fourteen to show Weapon Fourteen what a good punch feels like. But Weapon Fourteen must practice on a dummy, not with the instructor.

Weapon Fourteen wasn't allowed to punch the dummy in super speed, either. He was tased for that mistake, but Sir said he deserved it, so he must have. He asked why the other men could fight each other but he couldn't, once.

"You'll understand someday," Sir said, with a strange glint in his eye. Sir must be correct, because why wouldn't he?

 

3) Weapon Fourteen cannot leave his room without being instructed to

He left once, when he got hungry. He was shocked for it.

"That was a very bad thing you did," Sir had told him, and Weapon Fourteen had never hated himself more than that moment.

Sir always fed him the perfect amount, Weapon Fourteen was just weak, he knew it. And Weapon Fourteen's room was a gift, he shouldn't leave it without permission, he shouldn't wish to leave it.

Weapon Fourteen punched the wall of the room.

"Disgraceful, impolite, stupid mutant," he told himself, but the words didn't hurt as much as Sir's had.

 

4) Weapon Fourteen can not take off the shock collar while training

The shock collar is small and flexible and doesn't choke Weapon Fourteen, and so far, hasn't been used often. Sir tells him that if it is ever used, there will be a good reason for it. Weapon Fourteen will get shocked if he does something bad. And he doesn't want to do anything bad, so he doesn't get shocked. But when the instructor has Weapon Fourteen fight a man to show off his skills (in normal speed, of course), the man gets the upper hand by grabbing Weapon Fourteen's collar. But Weapon Fourteen can't take off the collar to avoid that from happening.

"The collar doesn't come off," Sir says. "Yes, he fought dirty, but that's how life is out there. You need to learn how to protect your weaknesses. That collar is a weakness." Everything Sir says, of course, makes absolute sense. Why wouldn't it? The collar is a part of him, and so part of him is weakness. And you can't remove a part of yourself, that just doesn't make sense.

 

 

The second time Weapon Fourteen gets shocked is when the man he wrestles forgets to take off his dog tags. Remembering to fight dirty, Weapon Fourteen yanks the chain.

And gets shocked. Weapon Fourteen twitches on the floor as Sir approaches.

"They can't take it, and the unfair world out there isn't in here. You can take it, but they can't. He's one of our men, you can't do that." Sir says. He pats Weapon Fourteen's head like a dog. Weapon Fourteen preens at the affection that Sir gave him. "That's alright, this time. You didn't know." Wait, was the pat on the head an apology?

"Sir," Weapon Fourteen protests. "Don't apologize for shocking me. It was clearly my fault." Sir smiles, a strange look in his eye.

"Alright," Sir says.

And he never apologizes for shocking Weapon Fourteen again. He fights back a smile, pleased. Sir is happy so Weapon Fourteen is too, because it must be good if Sir is smiling.

 

 

 

Weapon Fourteen finally gets his first mission, his first chance to prove himself.

They told Weapon Fourteen that he was ready for his first mission. As he was handed his uniform, Weapon Fourteen felt a surge of pride. He was ready! He opened the file they gave him.

He was being sent to collect a mutant living on the east coast of the U.S. They were frog-like, and they went by the name of Toad.

"If there's any mutant with DNA changed more than a normal mutant besides Beast and Mystique, it's a mutant like him. The ones that look different," Sir said. He sighed. "What I wouldn't give to still be able to examine Azazel, but Trask Industries claimed him years ago. For autopsies." Weapon Fourteen didn't recognize any of their names, but didn't say a word anyway. Nothing he had to say was worth saying, after all.

The mission didn't take any longer than three seconds. Darting off to the east coast, finding Toad (working as a cook, he was so sticky, Weapon Fourteen worried for health violations, but hey, a mutants gotta get money, gotta go to work, huh?) and running back was exhausting, sure, and Weapon Fourteen knew that wasn't going to be enough food to make him bring his energy back, to balance all the calories he burned, but he didn't question it or feel bad because Sir said that was how it was supposed to be, and what Sir says is always right. It was done. The mutant jumped in shock at the sudden surroundings, but was pinned down by guards in a flash.

"Excellent," Sir said, and the men dragged the mutant away with the frog-like, long-tongued mutant kicking and fighting every step of the way down the hallway to the examination rooms."Well down," Sir said, and Weapon Fourteen glowed at the praise. He was sent to his room, satisfied and happier than any time he could ever remember. His schedule returned to normal.

Three days, ten hours, and fifty two minutes later (Not that Weapon Fourteen knew that, time was wonky for him and Sir knew it, and the lights were always on anyways, for all Weapon Fouteen knew a week had passed) Weapon Fourteen was called in to finish the job.

"His mutation is weak," Sir said disappointed. "We'll have to use his body for mutant autopsy information, of course, but he's useless." Sir added disgustedly. He handed Weapon Fourteen his first knife. Sir trusted him with a weapon! "Kill him," sir ordered, and Weapon Fourteen took the knife.

The mutant (Toad, was it?) made a sound of surprise and fear, a primal sound that sent a brief moment of chills down Weapon Fourteen's spine. 

"Please," Toad begged. "I'm a mutant. like you! Don't!" Weapon Fourteen didn't care. This creature meant nothing to him. Perhaps his blank expression gave him away, for the mutant quickly changed his tune: "Magneto will get you!" he cried, and something twitched deep inside Weapon Fourteen. Something fought back at the familiar name. But familiar how? Weapon Fourteen thought about it. Nope. Never heard it before. But he still paused, and Toad began to talk desperately. "I'm part of Magneto's Might Brotherhood of Mutants! IF you kill me, he'll make you regret it!" Weapon Fourteen frowned and pushed the strange feeling away.

"I don't care,' he said, voicing the truth, and the knife flashed.

As the body of the strange annoying mutant hit the ground, several things happened:

1) Sir patted his shoulder. "Good job," he said, but his voice was emotionless, maybe even wary.

2) The knife was quickly snatched back.

3) Weapon Fourteen felt fear of Sir, and horror.

4) The dead mutant's unseeing eyes stared into his soul, blank and accusing and empty.

5) "Thank you, Sir," Weapon Fourteen said weakly. He stared at nothing at all and wondered why his hands clenched into fists.


	35. It's all Erik's fault (and he knows it)

It was only after they returned home from the base that Erik felt any regret from killing those people. Of course, the regret came in the form of being unable to sleep at night, because Charles Xavier knew exactly how to perfect the injured sad puppy look. Erik grimaced as he tossed and turned in bed, until he couldn't stand it anymore.

Let it never be said that Erik Lehnsherr, the great Magneto, ever spent a night out on the couch after a fight with his wife.

Apparently that applied for Charles too, even if Charles and Erik didn't sleep in the same bed, and Charles couldn't have kicked Erik out of Erik's own room, because that would be weird. And Charles wouldn't kick Erik out of the house, even, because even at his most unhappy moment Charles would never do something like that unless you were someone who could potentially hurt the students. Which Erik was totally that someone, but Charles refused to believe it.

So, it was 2:00 in the morning, and Erik was standing outside Charles' bedroom, incredibly annoyed.

"Charles!" he said, so loudly that it was a surprise that no one else woke up, even if the students all slept on the other side of the X-Mansion.

There was no response.

"CHARLES!" he yelled louder, and then it occurred to Erik that maybe he should have knocked first before yelling.

"CHARL-" The telepath sounded very annoyed when he cut Erik off mid-yell.

_What do you want, old friend? It's 2 in the morning, everyone's asleep. I was asleep._

"I'm here to apologize," Erik said, a little lost for words, because sleep-deprived ideas aren't always the best ideas. Then he got annoyed again about feeling regret, because that's just how sleep-deprived Magneto rolls.

Okay, maybe not just sleep-deprived. Maybe Erik drank some, too.

 _Could your apology not wait until morning?_  Charles said, annoyed but not as hostile.

"No?" Erik said. "It was keeping me up."

_Oh._

They both fell silent.

 _I don't approve of you killing those men,_  Charles said at last.  _And I'm not entirely sure I should accept your apology. That won't bring those men back to life._

"If you did, I'd kill them again," Erik said hopelessly. "You know why."

 _Because they're government men, experimenting on mutants, including your son?_ There was an internal sigh.  _I'm not saying I don't understand why you did it, Erik. I just wish you didn't._

Erik blinked.

_I don't suppose next time you'll refrain from killing them next time?_

"If my son's there, I'm killing them all." Erik said, protectiveness swelling in his chest. "But if we meet a dead end again..." He paused. Despair weighed heavy in chest after that thought. "Then you won't aim to kill in particular. Just stop, and if there are casualties, then there are casualties."

 _That's the best I'm going to get out of you for now,_  Charles admitted.  _Very well. Now, go to bed, Erik._

Erik stood outside the door a moment longer. Having this conversation in his head instead of face to face was... off. Something was strangely unsatisfying.

 _Fine. Open the door and I'll verbally wish you goodnight like a child,_  Charles said, amused. Erik snorted at the mockery, amused and annoyed all at once. But he opened the door.

"You know," he said. "If it wasn't my child, if it was just a normal mutant, I'd let you deal with them. I wouldn't kill them all."

Charles looked at him from across the room, tired and weary.

"I know," he said at last, voice rough from sleep. "I know, Erik."

They stared at each other.

 

 

 

In the morning, Erik was gone, off chasing a lead. He took down an entire base by himself, leaving unconscious soldiers everywhere. Charles sent the X-Men after him, but they arrived an hour after he left. Raven collected the files from the base, and a note.

 

Charles,

I'm off to check other mutants for news about mutant kidnappings. Surely Peter can't be the only one. I check with them, you check these files. See you in two days.

-Magneto

 

 

 

But Erik didn't return in two days. He returned in one, after Raven found something very interesting in those files.

 

**Subject #1: Wolverine**

**Name: Logan Howlett**

**Information redacted: moved to Weapon X program**

**Subject #2: Sabretooth**

**Name: Victor Creed**

**Information redacted: moved to Weapon X program**

**Subject #3**

....

Every paper in the file pertained to a 'Subject', some poor soul the government kidnapped over the years. Those with mutation marked 'useful' had the majority of their information redacted and moved to the Weapon X program, something Erik felt fear even thinking about. And there were so many papers. So many mutants. Any even if some were sent to the Weapon X program, the ones that weren't, were experimented on. Tortured. Killed. They had autopsies. They took blood samples. Bone marrow. Greedy scientists tore all of them apart piece by piece. And almost every page he came across had bold red letters across them, all saying the same thing: DECEASED.

By the time Erik read the first ten pages, he already broke:

Charles' grandfather clock

A paperweight

A lamp

and Hank's glasses.

 

But the pages kept going on and on.

**Subject 14**

**Subject 23**

**Subject 36**

**Subject 42**

**Subject 53**

**Subject 59-** wait. Wait. WAIT. GO BACK.

Erik tore a few pages in his intensity to get to Subject 53 again.

 

**Subject #53- Quicksilver**

**Name: Pietro "Peter" Django Maximoff**

**Mutation: Super speed**

**Information: redacted. Moved to Weapon X program.**

 

"Charles," he wheezed, and Charles rolled his wheelchair over immediately.

"What is it- oh." Charles said. "They've sent him to the Weapon X program."

"Charles," Erik said, chest heaving, and he couldn't catch his breath, he couldn't tell Charles what he needed to say. He couldn't breathe. "Charles."

"Hey," Charles said, his voice high pitched. "That means there's a chance he's alive."

"Charles," Erik gasped. "Charles, look." His mouth trembled as his lungs felt like they were fluttering like fish. He pointed, unable to voice it. "How do they know? How do they know?" Charles leaned over and gasped.

"Oh."

Because on the paper, the only information left that wasn't redacted was this:

**Relatives:**

**Mother: Magda Maximoff (Human)**

**Half sister: Lorna Maximoff (Human)**

**Father: Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Mutant)**

 

Magneto wanted to destroy even more, because it became painfully obvious to him:

They only went after Peter because they knew he was related to Erik.

This was Erik's fault.

 

Raven picked up the last paper.

"Guys," she said. "We have a lead."

One the very last page, there was a piece of paper. Half of the words were blacked-out, but what was legible was this:

 

**Weapon X Program**

**In charge: Major William Stryker**

**Current Program Location: Tooele Army Depot, Tooele County, Utah, United States**

 

Erik slid his helmet onto his head, and Charles watched sadly.

"I won't be able to stop you," he sighed. "But I won't be happy about it."

Some unknown, unhappy feeling made itself known to Erik. He stepped forward, knowing what he was about to do only the moment before he did it. He knelt down and grabbed Charles' shoulders.

"This will be the last time," he promised. "No more killing. I promise. I'll come and live with you and Peter forever." Charles' eyes widened.

"Erik," he whispered, but Erik wasn't finished.

"You're too important for me to lose, so I'll stop fighting you now," Erik promised. "So this is it. The last time. I would stop now, but it's Peter, and it's my fault."

"No," Charles protested. "It's not your fault."

"It is," Erik said. He stood up. "Last time," he promised, and Charles' eyes watered.

"The last time," he agreed, taking Erik's promise and holding it in his hands against his chest.


	36. Weapon XIV was breaking (you thought He wouldn't notice?)

Something was stirring inside Weapon XIV, coiled like a snake. For the first time, Weapon Fourteen began to see that there was something... off... something wrong... about living in the army base.

1\. Food

They never fed him enough. Never. Hunger was a constant. Sir assured him, when he grew the courage to ask Sir why he was always hungry, that hunger was normal and they were feeding him enough. But hunger clawed its way into his stomach and stayed in his gut permanently. Weapon XIV was always skinny, for as long as he could remember, but he could have sworn there was a time when he didn't see the edge of his ribs when he saw a mirror. Which was rare to find. Sometimes Weapon Fourteen broke, and on a mission he took a quick detour to grab a bite to eat. Something small. It only added 0.02 seconds to his mission, but he felt like he was doing something wrong every time he did it.

But it never changed the fact that Weapon Fourteen was slowly getting skinnier, and that he was hungry all the time.

_At least I'm not hungry while I'm asleep. And maybe everyone feels hungry all the time. Maybe this is normal._

2\. The missions

He had to kill and capture people like him, and sometimes Sir would tell them things that sounded suspiciously like he was going to treat the like Weapon Fourteen, if only they complied. His way of living wasn't that bad, right? And yet the mutant would stare at Weapon XIV in horror and Weapon Fourteen would never feel any emotion about their look of fear until later, until the snake in his gut uncoiled and told him that  _this is wrong, they're like us, we shouldn't be killing them, they shouldn't look at us with fear. Why do they look at us with fear? Why are they scared of us? What makes us different? Are they bad, or us? Are we the bad guys?_

But Weapon VIX pushed it down and kept on stealing mutants, and killing them. It made the papers, and he snake seemed pleased. Sir wasn't but continued to send Weapon XIV out all the same, because, in SIr's words,

"No one can catch the wind, and no one knows where the mutants are disappearing. They can't trace it back to us."

The snake didn't seem pleased about that, but Sir was pleased, so Weapon Fourteen was pleased.

3\. The Fear

There was one thing about the snake that Weapon Fourteen couldn't push down, and that was the fear the snake had, for everything. For the building. For his own name. For Sir. Especially for Sir.

Sir never shows any real emotions.  _That's his job, not to._

Sir never fed him enough.  _Sir says he is, and I believe him._

Sir will hurt us one day. He looks at us, eyes wary. He may pat your head and compliment you for a job well done killing other mutants, but he doesn't trust you. He doesn't need you.  _No, he won't, that's preposterous! Why would you think that?_

Whenever Sir looked at Weapon Fourteen, he felt such an unnatural fear course through him that he struggled not to run. Why would he run from Sir? Why was he so afraid? He didn't understand. Sir wouldn't hurt him, Weapon Fourteen was useful, he was helpful, he was good!

 _But what happens when you aren't useful anymore?_ The snake whispers.

"I'll never not be useful, I'm a Weapon," Weapon Fourteen says in the silence of his room. "I'm useful. I'm good. I do a good job. The perfect soldier." He repeats all the compliments he's heard about himself, not thinking for one second that maybe these compliments aren't what they seemed. Because they are just compliments, good ones. They make Weapon Fourteen feel pride. There's nothing wrong with them.

 _This isn't a room, it's a cell. A prison. And a Weapon is a tool. You are a tool,_  the snake hisses.

"Shut up," Weapon Fourteen says. And the snake does. For now.

 

Peter didn't care. It wasn't until he found himself unable to shoot a mutant named Psylocke, because the snake wouldn't let him and the mutant looked vaguely familiar did Weapon Fourteen give up his eternal battle. The 'perfect soldier', it seemed, wasn't so perfect after all.

"I've been experiencing strange emotions. Fear of this place. And a mutant seemed familiar. I don't understand what is happening," Weapon Fourteen told Sir, despite the terror that had overtaken him and the silent screaming of the snake t _o stop now, turn around, run_ -

"I'm glad you told me, Weapon Fourteen," Sir said smoothly, and Weapon Fourteen sends a mental  _ha ha, see?_  to the snake for giving him unnecessary fear. "Follow me." And Weapon Fourteen does. Sir leads him to some machine that Weapon Fourteen doesn't recall seeing before, but it seems familiar and it's making the snake yell  _danger danger danger danger-_

"Weapon Fourteen?" Sir asks, and he realizes he's taken a step backwards. He shakes his head and sits down. Sir straps him in and the terror rises against Weapon Fourteen's will.

"I will say this, since you won't remember it," Sir says. "But this is so much easier now that you aren't resisting. It's a shame, though, that we have to reteach you everything again."

"What?" Weapon Fourteen asks, confused. Sir looks amused. Well, as amused as Sir gets. Sir always tones down his emotions, and Weapon Fourteen will never understand why.

"You think this isn't the first time that you've come and told me that you were starting to remember? I think I've sent you on 'Your First Mission' about four times now," Sir says, and Weapon Fourteen tugs against the restraints on his wrist.

"What are you doing?" And the fear starts creeping into his voice. He doesn't understand, but he knows something is wrong. Has he done something bad? Sir, about to press the button, turns and smiles at Weapon Fourteen.

"Bye again, Fourteen," he says, voice bland, and pushes his finger down.

Weapon Fourteen breaks one of his restraints using his super speed, cursing himself for being  _so stupid for not trusting the snake, the snake was trying to warn him-_

but it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all: we want Erik to arrive and save peter!!! We want Dad Angst  
> Me: hmmmm what about Peter being treated badly some more  
> Y'all: no-  
> Me: [updates]


	37. Erik rages (Erik fears. And then horror strikes.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You would not believe your eyes  
> If I updated this next chapter  
> As fast as I could because I didn't want y'all to suffer (that much)

The X-Men moved swiftly, exiting the X-Jet. Magneto took 3 steps out of the jet before hovering, his hands clenched in fists. Wind whipped back his cloak as clouds darkened and Ororo's eyes glowed. Scott rushed off the plane, followed by Jean and Kurt. Even Beast and Mystique left the plane, leaving Charles to stay on the plane, hand permanently pressed to his head worriedly. He watched over all his friends, except for, of course, the one he worried for the most. But the helmet was firmly pressed on Erik's head as he glided forward towards the government base, the X-Men racing after him, and Charles could do nothing but worry.

Lightning crackled across the sky as the guards notice their approaching doom. They shout and press buttons, alarms ringing out in the previous silence of the lone building in the middle of nowhere. The fresh snow crunched under desperate feet, and guns are grabbed for. But it is too late.

Erik is rage incarnate, the idea of dramatics gone in the wind. His arms still move to command the metal, yes, but no big movements are used, precious time wasted that keep him from killing more and more and killing everybody in his way, and it doesn't matter they all must pay, they all hurt his son and they must pay the price and die. He was too angry to be dramatic. Wide gestures, sweeping arms, focus for one unfortunate living being were discarded like empty cans. His movements were small, precise, and deadly. HIs hand twitched and 5 men chocked as metal wire wrapped around their necks.

 _They deserve it,_  he thought viciously.

Erik is rage, the Bringer of Death, an unstoppable force of anger, even as his friends warn him not to kill anyone. They are too late, and he ignores them. The only sound in his ears was his own breathing, but even the action of his own breathing supplies him with more anger. Erik rages, every second more men die at the slightest twitch of his fingers. in the past, Erik has felt satisfaction when he kills, like when he killed those nazis when hunting down Shaw, but today brings no satisfaction, only a desire to kill more.

_They must pay._

Erik feels like he might explode with the force of his anger. He's felt anger like this before, of course. The rage that comes with loss and revenge is the rage that fuels every second of Erik's life. And yet, every time, Erik is swept away by the rage, drowning in a river of anger, and every gasping breath he takes when his head is above the water is a breath full of rage.

"Erik!" he hears Raven shout at him _. She sounds like she's going to be sick,_  he noted absently, killing ten more men with a clipped wave of his hand.

Suddenly, he feels his helmet raising off his head. he snarled as he used his metal powers to shove the helmet back on. He turned, to face Jean. Her arm was still out, her eyes filled with determination and, yes, fear.

"You have no right to stop me," he snarled, and even if his voice doesn't carry that far, the message is clear. "You don't have the fucking right!" he howled, and now all of his rage is focused with a painful intensity on Jean.

Jean, for her part, doesn't step down. She continues to fight, to pull the helmet off, and Erik counters. With a snap of his fingers, Jean is sent flying.

"Jean!" Scott screams, but Jean catches herself before she falls. She hovers for a moment longer, before lowering herself to the ground. Scott runs over and looks at Magneto, expression unreadable.

"We're helping you, cut it out!" Hank barks, and Magneto growls but stops.

"Then tell her that," he snarls. Jean holds her ground. 

"Fine," she says, and with a wave of her arm, she knocks out all the men who had been charging at them while they were fighting amongst themselves. Erik growls, because he understands what she is doing. He can't attack those men, because it's just wrong to attack them when they're unconscious. He turns his attention to the men that are still alive.

They are working together, taking down all the men, when suddenly Erik's world is turned upside down. Something strikes his face, sending his helmet flying off his face, but before Erik can grab the helmet or see what hit him, it strikes again. Erik is sent flying backwards and as his back hits the grass he sees the others fall down too. 

Standing there is someone wrapped up in black and silver leather, with a mask and goggles which effectively cover the majority of their face. Their only identifying feature is their light silver hair, and Erik feels anger when he sees it. He knows they're holding Peter here, and to see them send someone who has similar hair to his son after them infuriates him. He lifts his hand to attack the unknown man, when they disappear and just as they seem to turn invisible, Erik is being punched and getting all his air knocked out of him. He flings his hand out and yanks the mask off the unknown man with a sense of vicious pleasure. Then he sees their face.

The realization hits and he is not pleased.

 

He doesn't remember the way that everything explodes. He doesn't remember the X-Men struggling to stay out of the blast zone, or Charles yelling in his head as Jean slips the helmet off unheeded. He doesn't remember the way he grabs everything that has the slightest bit of metal in it and pulls, or the magnetic waves of the Earth being bent out of shape by the sheer power of his will. He doesn't remember the pain of his knees hitting the ground as he sank down and placed his forehead against the dirt. He doesn't remember Charles slipping into control as he robotically walked onto the jet to fly back to the mansion.

 

He only remembers this: 

The lack of recognition in his son's eyes, and he prances out danger with ease and disappears.

The hollowness Erik feels in his soul, that he moved as fast as he could but was still too slow to save his son.

The singular tear that he shed in his shock.

It landed on his hand and he stared at it blankly until Raven noticed and carefully wiped it off his hand. He felt so hopeless when she did that, as if the tear was Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold of anyone to assume I know where I'm going with this story, but I'm having fun writing it, so that's all that matters I guess


	38. An internal battle is like a physical battle (Peter knows this)

Pe- No, Weapon Fourteen, knows that man. He knows he does. Their name, their face beneath the helmet, their identity lies on the tip of his tongue.

He goes for the kill. He's so close, in super speed, so close to snapping this strange man's neck.

 **NOOO!!!**  Something screams at him inside his head, so loud and anguished that it rattles inside his brain. He feels emotions stronger than he thought he could. He knows there is a telepath in the midst of the enemy mutants but he doesn't think this came from them.

He can't do it. He can't kill this man.

He punches him so hard his helmet comes flying off.

The man underneath the mask is a stranger. Pe- Qu- Weapon XIV doesn't recognize him. 

**But that helmet! But his eyes-?**

Weapon XIV doesn't recognize him. He punches the man in the face again, but Fourteen hesitated too many times for too long, and this man reacts with a familiarity which suggests he's met a mutant with super speed before. Gloved hands that move fast, though nowhere near as fast as Pe- Weapon XIV, swipe the mask off the Weapon's face. He barely notices. The mask is not important to him. He is slow and distracted by so many things. He shakes his head slightly, as if to clear his mind. It doesn't work.

Weapon XIV paid no mind to the removal of the mask. But the man who removed the mask is startled to see the face beneath. His face turns pale, and somehow paler. He flushes bright red in anger, and then turns white again. His eyes bulge out of his head.

**For such a well-composed man, right now he seems to be crumbling like bulletproof glass in a government base.**

Weapon Fourteen frowns. How is he one to know if the man is often well-composed? And how is he one to know what bulletproof glass looks like as it  **shatters underneath the pressure of his vibrating hands in a small strange room, and he grins in delight as the prisoner he frees, who wears a white uniform, covers his head until the rain of glass stops and he starts to raise his head-**

No. Weapon Fourteen does not know this man, nor his eyes, helmet, nor anything else. He does not recognize this memory which slips into his mind, nor what happens next or who that man was. But every thought unrelated to the life Weapon Fourteen has lived by Stryker's side is like a blow to the stomach, and is as painful as  **being strapped down in a strange machine while someone laughs-**

Pe- Weapon Fourteen meets the strange man's eyes. He sees devastation inside them. And then the world erupts. He watches, fascinated, as the man tries to rip the world into shreds. The man howls in slow motion.

**He's been through so much...**

Weapon Fourteen does not know this man. But he had a mission to kill these mutants, which he failed. And watching this man have a temper tantrum was not in the job description. He dodges the ground tearing itself apart with relative ease, and once out of the reach of danger, he freezes.

Sir. The base. His home. He spins on his heel and turns to see nothing but destruction. The strange man has destroyed everything. He searches for any sign of anger inside himself and finds... relief.

**We can go home.**

Weapon Fourteen snarls and grabs his head as the painful thought appears. There is no home. It has been destroyed. What do Weapons do when they are no longer in the clutches of the government?

**Logan. The woods.**

Weapon Fourteen doesn't know who Logan is, although it brings to mind Weapon X, the only other weapon to escape.

Escape. The base wasn't home, he supposes, it was just his house. But he has no home, no place to go. And while the government could always use a weapon like him, he has no intention of going back to the government because he can see quite clearly what will happen to him. They will send out to go find and fight that strange man he cannot kill. And once they find out he cannot complete the mission, they will kill him.

He needs to become a civilian. All mutants are in danger of being taken by the government by people like him, he knows, but Weapon Fourteen was also the only one like him. But pretending to be human is safer.

Pe- Weapon XIV heads out to a city. Not a big one, but a small one, but not too small that they were wary of strangers.

He quickly learns several things:

His silver hair is not normal. 

His name is not normal.

His clothes are not normal.

He moves on, dying his hair blond, and stealing clothes with a strange feeling that he's stolen clothes before. He grabs a random shirt, the first one he can find. He grabs the first pair of pants he can find. He grabs shoes, common footwear to leave common footprints behind. He pauses.

It is cold. He needs a jacket. He lingers in the jacket section. he doesn't know which material will give the maximum warmth. There is a gray jacket, a hoodie. It doesn't seem quite right but the color calls to him. He takes it  **like he took all the Twinkies from the convenience store or like how he took the Pac-Man game-**

Weapon XIV doesn't know what a Twinkie is. He doesn't know what a Pac-man is. He keeps running.

He arrives at another town. He looks at the sign entering the town curiously.

Rosebud, Montana.

Weapon XIV realizes he hasn't chosen a name. He has no backstory. He looks to the painful, false memories for help. They are not his story but they could be.

"Give me a name, any name." he says out loud to whatever controlled the foreign, hurtful thoughts in his head. He focuses. "Give me a name," he pleads softly.

The next thought doesn't hurt as much.

**Peter.**

Peter. It is a common name, unsuspecting. Weapon XIV likes it.

"I am Peter," he says loudly, testing the name. There is no one to hear.

He enters town and enters the first motel he sees.

"Name?" the receptionist asks when he buys a room.

"Peter," he says. The receptionist glances up, briefly.

"Last name?"

The painful thought slips out of his mouth before he can fully register it.

"Maximoff."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I know how this story might end but do you guys want some minor Charles/Erik or nah


	39. Peter Who Isn't Peter (is Actually Peter)

Peter Maximoff Who Isn't Actually Peter Maximoff was living in various small cities, traveling from one to another sporadically to avoid detection from... well, anyone who could know of his existence, he supposes, when it occurred to him that maybe he  _was_  Actually Peter Maximoff.

He spent a solid two months of living in small towns in the middle of nowhere, looking out for government officials looking for him or those strange mutants looking for revenge, dealing with the painful false memories that eventually spelled out a story.

Actually Peter Maximoff was a mutant with super speed, like him, who lived in his mother's basement and had kleptomania and stole things, which the Real Peter's mother did not approve of, and unlike him. Real Peter's life changed, but did not improve, when he was asked to break the Strange Man(!) out of a high security government building. He learned that the Strange Man was Peter Maximoff's father, and when Peter went looking for the Strange Man he found Him destroying the Earth. Possibly for not the first time.

The Strange Man had recognized him. He had super speed like Peter Maximoff. He had Peter Maximoff's memories. It was only logical to decide that maybe he was Actually Peter Maximoff.

Weapon Fourteen realized that he had been going by his real name the whole time, and was therefore incredibly easy to track, and if no one had shown up yet, then no one was likely looking for him.

Being the Real Peter Maximoff was also easier. Weapon Fourteen had decided he no longer liked being called Weapon Fourteen, and had greatly preferred going by Peter.

Peter paused. He had his memories back, although he felt an emotional disconnect from them and he still couldn't remember how he lost his memories. He was surprised to find that he had met Stryker before, when he had gone to stop his Father from taking over the world.

Father. Peter Maximoff had a family. Why wasn't Peter Maximoff's family looking for him? It wasn't like he hiding that well.

He reviewed his memories.

He was looking for One Marya Maximoff first. Then One Erik Lehnsherr. How many people with those names could exist in the world?

More than he expected, but not so many that it didn't take long to track down the right Marya Maximoff. As for the right Erik Lehnsherr, well, how does one track down a mutant terrorist fugitive when Peter can remember how the mutant school looked but not the address?

His mother looked surprised when he knocked on the front door.

"Why did you knock?" She asked. "Usually you just breeze by."

"I thought it would be polite," Peter said, a trifle confused. Had she noticed he had even been missing?

"Polite?" she repeated, and then crossed her arms. "What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"I didn't find the trouble, the trouble found me." he said, feeling a little upset. "Do you even know how long I've been gone?"

"Yes," she said, frowning. "Months. You went off to that gifted school and I haven't heard from you since. I get the occasional message from some nice sounding older man about once a month, but even that stopped. But do I care? Not really, it's about time that you moved out of the house. But what am I supposed to say when your little sister asks about you? the monthly calls were nice, you know, I would have appreciated at least that."

Peter stared at her silently, a mixture of surprise and relief and disappointment at himself.

"What?' she asked.

"Nothing, I guess." he said. "I've been doing well. I'm part of some mutant group, I have friends." He paused. "Can I go to my room?" Marya seemed surprised that he had asked.

"What, you need permission? My my, that school really has helped you." she stepped to the side slightly. "Come on in. See you in another month, I guess. Say hi to your sister before you leave."

Peter stood in the living room, mind racing. He had nearly forgotten Peter Maximoff had a sister. What was her name, what was her name?

"Peter!" a little girl cried, racing over. Automatically, his arms flew open and he scooped her up, even though his mind was screaming about the unexpected physical contact.

"Lorna," he said, the name falling out of his mind automatically.

"I've missed you," the girl stared up at his face. "You need to visit more."

"I will," he promised automatically. "I will."

"What did you do to your hair?" she cried, tilting her head away and crinkling up her nose. "It looks funny."

"It's not permanent," he assured her, as she tugged on the blond strands.

"Will you be spending the night and eating dinner with us?" the little girl asked hopefully. Peter hesitated, and Lorna looked desperate. "Please, Peter," she begged.

"Of course," he said instantly, his heart aching at her sad face, which cleared up immediately.

"Yay!" she kicked her legs until he set her down, and Lorna ran down the hall after Marya. "He's spending the night and eating dinner with us!"

Peter watched her go, amused, then turned towards the stairs that led to the basement. He entered his old room cautiously, feeling like a stranger even though it all felt familiar. He rifled through his things, a vague idea about something in his room somewhere. it took a little searching, but he found it.

A business card, to someplace called Charles Xavier's School For The Gifted. He looked at the address, memorizing it. Charles Xavier. The telepath. Erik Lehnsherr's friend. If his father was anywhere, it would be here, and even if he weren't, Charles could find him for Peter.

"We're eating potatoes!" he heard his sister shriek upstairs.

Charles and his father had been waiting for two months, they could wait another day.

At least now he knew who he was.


	40. Erik Grieves (Charles Gets Him Moving)

Erik wasn't searching for Peter. Erik wasn't leaving the house to search the country, nay, the world, for Peter.

Erik wasn't even leaving his bed.

"My dear friend," Charles said, knowing the moment he rolled into the room that the conversation would be futile. "Would you like to come downstairs and eat breakfast with everyone?"

"'M not hungry," the lump of blankets on their bed mumbles. Charles sighed, and wheeled over to deposit himself on the end next to the lump.

"Erik," he said gently, but the pile didn't move. He decided to switch tactics. "The little ones are worried about you. They love you, you know." The pile shifted, and Erik's head popped out. He looked sad and tired, but his eyes were alert, and they focused on Charles with a fierce intensity.

"They shouldn't." he said. "I can't even look after my own children, so why would they expect me to look after them?" 

"They don't expect you to look after them, they expect you to teach you how to play checkers and cook breakfast." Charles allowed himself to smile slightly. "The only ones who know how to cook around here are Hank, Raven, and you, and everyone here knows who the superior breakfast-maker is." Erik stared at Charles blankly. "Erik, you know Raven burns everything and Hank's dishes always turn out bland. Or too salty. Or-" 

"I get it." Erik dove back under the covers. "I don't want to eat."

"Erik," Charles said, getting frustrated. "Can you please eat your breakfast, show the children that you're alright, and then follow me to Cerebro so we can track down Peter?"

"No." Erik growled, sitting up entirely. "He doesn't remember me. Maybe he can live a happy life now. And those children downstairs, they aren't mine. I can't make them mine. I can't love them and then lose them, Charles. They don't deserve to have me ruin their lives. They deserve to live free and happy and not be hunted down or killed because they loved me." Charles knew they weren't talking about the children downstairs anymore. He ran his hand through his hair.

"Erik," Charles asked desperately. "How can we know Peter is happy the way he is? If we're assuming that he has no memories except Stryker, then what would keep him from returning to the military and being experimented on?" Erik looked a little wide eyed.

"I hadn't thought about that," he admitted. "Logan didn't."

"Peter isn't Logan," Charles pointed out, annoyed, and then, to get Erik moving; "You didn't think about it because you've been wallowing in self-pity for the last few weeks." Erik growled at him.

"I have just lost another child, and I can't very well just go out and kill whoever's responsible because they're already dead!" he snarled. "What am I supposed to do? Every second he spends with me is another second he's in some sort of danger I can't protect him from! If I go looking for him, he'll probably end up dead! You don't know how I feel. Just let me grieve."

"Don't know how you feel?" Charles asked, incredulously. "I knew Peter too, not to mention I'm a telepath. And I've let you grieve, but I've let this go on too long. You need to get out of this bed."

"No," Erik grumbled, tightening his grip on the blanket.

"Yes," snapped Charles.

"No," Erik bared his teeth like a wild animal, and Charles mentally smirked to himself.

"So be it," as he lowered himself into his wheelchair, he saw out of the corner of his eye that Erik loosened his grip on the blanket slightly. "Then I will go out and find him myself."

Erik sat up. "Don't you dare!" But Charles was already wheeling himself out the door of their bedroom.

 

Five minutes later, Erik was sitting at the breakfast table, surrounded by Charles' youngest students who looked at him in awe. One of them reached out to tug Erik's sleeve.

"I've accidentally bent five spoons since you've been sick." they said, and Erik raised an eyebrow at Charles.

 **Sick?**  he asked mentally, and Charles shrugged while taking a sip of his tea.

**What was I supposed to tell them, that you were grieving?**

"Can you fix it?" Erik's attention was brought back to the spoons, which the mutant placed on the table. They were all metal utensils.

"I can," Erik confirmed, and with a twitch of his fingers, the spoons straightened out again. The little mutants gasped with awe. 

Another one piped up. "Can you help me with my math homework?" Erik looked helplessly at Charles, who stifled a chuckle.

 **Thank you, little ones,**  He silently told them.  **Yo** **u all have been very helpful.**

 

Nearly an hour later, Erik was outside, helping direct a P.E. class when Charles wheeled up.

"I know what you did," the metal bender said, turning around as Charles approached. "You were very obvious."

"Angering you didn't work, so I had to rely on the children." Charles said cheerfully. "And maybe it's just crystal clear what I did because you know me so well."

"Maybe so," Erik said, and bent down to kiss Charles.

 

Raven and Hank were in one of the classrooms, grading their student's homework together when Raven started cackling. Hank looked up curiously. 

"What is it?" he asked. Wordless, Raven pointed out the window. Hank grabbed his coffee mug and walked over.

He chocked on his coffee.

"They are finally together!" wheezed Raven. "Oh sweet, sweet justice!"

"Wait," Hank said. "Wait, wait-"

"I can't believe it took them about twenty years!" Raven crowed.

"I knew Charles was gay, b-but-" Hank stammered.

Raven laughed harder. "Oh Hank," she roared with amusement. "Your face!"

Hank didn't need a mirror to know it was filled with shock and horror.

"Erik?!" he spluttered. "Charles was in love with Erik?!" Raven pounded the table. "Why did it have to be Erik?!"

"Now you know Erik's going to stay," Raven snorted. She stood up. "I can't grade homework right now, I have to go tell Storm."

"Erik?" Hank asked in shock, but no one heard.

 

 

Peter woke up in the morning, feeling rested. He walked up the stairs and ate breakfast with his family. He ate slowly, trying to memorize their faces so he wouldn't have to rely on his memories from before.

"I'm going back to the mansion," he stated cautiously while he ate, and his mother nodded as if she had known the moment he arrived at the door that he would leave again. Maybe she had.

"I expected that," she confirmed his thoughts. "I think it's good for you."

His sister reached out her arms. "I want a hug," she demanded, eyes round, and Peter gave her one instantly.

"I'll visit more often," he promised.

"You better!" his darling little sister replied, and Peter grinned because where did she get that sass from? Him? The speedster chuckled and then he was out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bluh erik feels a lil OOC in this one but how many children does a guy lose until he cracks
> 
> i also realized that since peter found Charles in XMA, not Kurt, Charles may have not been there long enough to loose his hair, and I remember when I was planning the end of this story a couple weeks back I was chuckling because in my mind Charles has never lost his hair.
> 
> also: I think there's two more chapters left  
> the next one will wrap it up and its going to be in a weird format and be super long  
> the final one will be a poetic conclusion
> 
> also cherik im sorry if y'all dont like it but i was thinking peoples reactions (in the story) would be funny
> 
> I might go back and rewrite the first few chapters because my writing has improved and the first few could use that new improvement,


	41. Five Times Peter Nearly Told Erik (and One Time He Does)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Different style of writing and its dummy long here you go!

1\. After the big Apocalypse mess, everyone pitched in on helping to build the mansion. The little mutant children were sent home, of course, but the rest stayed and helped. Even Peter, who's leg was broken, tried to be useful. He didn't feel very useful, but Raven insisted someone was needed to inform the others that dinner was ready. He approached Erik and Jean, the biggest contributors to the house building, and started shouting at them.

"Hey!" They both looked down at him from their high position. "Dinner's ready!" Jean floated softly to the ground, while Magneto spread out his arms and hovered down.

"Hey, Jean's arms are by her side. Why are yours out? Is it because of your powers or because you're totally a drama queen? You're more dramatic, I guess, but no one's watching." Erik looked at Peter for a long moment silently. "What?" Peter asked.  
"You've been watching me a lot. I think I have an audience." Erik said, at last, voice teasing yet curious. Peter froze. Erik had noticed that Peter was watching him.

"Well, I mean, you are a pretty famous dude," Peter said, stumbling over the unasked question. "You know, everyone here knows you. You kind of did big apocalypse stuff." Erik's face darkened as Peter realized that he had suggested he had not trusted Erik, since the metal bender was basically a terrorist. "And, you know," Peter added quickly, "You seem a bit different from when we last met." Erik looked at him.

"I've always been a fugitive of the law," Erik said, puzzled.

"Yeah, but now you're more, uh, mellow, I guess?" Peter said. "What changed?" Erik's face filled with grief and Peter regretted asking. He recalled the little girl he had seen.

"I lost someone," Erik said simply, not wanting to talk about it. But Peter kept talking anyway.

"Yeah, that doesn't turn you mellow. I'm going to guess family, huh?" Peter babbled without thinking, and grimaced as Erik looked at him, gaze intense. "A child? You had a child? You got Dad vibes, man." Erik glanced down, and Peter breathed.  _TELL HIM TELL HIM TELL HIM HE NEEDS SOMEBODY TELL HIM!!!!_

"Even though they're dead you still have Dad vibes. Maybe..." Peter's voice faltered as Erik looked up. His face screamed  _'DONT DO THIS'_  to Peter. "You know what?" Peter said, changing tactics. "Storm is waving me over. Go get dinner." He used to crutches to scramble away as fast as he could. Erik stared after him.

 _He was so close to the truth,_  his father marveled.  _But he's right nonetheless. I still have my son. I still have him._

 

 

2.

Peter was minding his own business, wandering down the halls of the Raven-dubbed X-Mansion,  _which was kind of dumb but Raven gave nicknames to everything and she was scary when mad and if you insulted her nicknames for things then she got really mad, hoo boy, when Hank questioned why she called the plane he built 'The X-Jet', wow, that was one of the most terrifying things Peter had ever seen in his life. So yeah, X-Mansion is now the name of the building. X-Mansion wasn't catchy but it felt natural, he supposed? It was cheesy but after you said it ten times, it was okay. And no one can say no to Raven's nicknames. Charles said she gave nicknames to all the dead X-Men too, like Havok, Scott's brother. Or, Peter supposed, Cyclops' brother. Scott's face when he was first called 'Cyclops', that expression of defeat, ha hahaha, it was hilarious, Peter's never going to forget it-_

"-just sitting there, I mean, look at him." Scott's voice interrupted Peter's train of thought, which honestly, was more like a motorcycle driven by a drunk raccoon going off the highway into a skatepark more than a straight train track, but what could Peter say? Raccoons would be terrifying drunk, though, Peter needed a better-

Peter turned the corner and saw Scott, Jean, Storm, Kurt, and Jubilee lurking by the entrance of the library. They were all piled up behind the doors, peering inside.

"Hey guys," he greeted, and they whirled around, surprised. Kurt squeaked in shock but the group quickly shushed the teleporter and the speedster. They whispered amongst themselves and then beckoned Peter to join them. Peter walked over and peered inside. The library looked the same as it always did, musty old books in musty old shelves with fancy chairs and fancy tables. God, it was like Peter entered a college library or something. Not that Peter's been to a college. But Peter's seen movies, like Indiana Jones, and if Indiana Jones drives through a fancy school library, then that means Peter's seen the inside of a fancy library.

"Look at him," Jean whispered. Peter realized that they were watching Erik, who was sitting in a chair by the window with a book. The sky outside was cloudy, but still provided enough natural light for Erik to read comfortably. He sat by the window closest to the corner of the room, his only companions a table with a setup chessboard and another chair, facing his It looked like a scene from a painting, someone unreachable.

"He looks lonely," Jubilee said solemnly. Peter glanced at her, then at Erik. His father didn't look particularly sad, but he didn't look content, either, he supposed. Erik looked lost in his thoughts, and a little wistful. Peter could practically see the what-could-have-been's that were at the forefront of Erik's mind.

"It is disrespectful to spy on him like this," Kurt said after a moment of silence. "I'm going to talk to Raven." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke quietly.

"Rude," Storm said. "I was going to go with him." She headed down the hall, presumably to go search for the two blue mutants.

"Someone should talk to him," Jean said. "Maybe play a round of chess. Too bad Scott and I are busy doing homework." Scott looked surprised.

"We are?" She tugged his arm and pulled him along with her down the hallway as Peter caught on to what was happening.

_They set me up._

With a sigh, (Although, did Peter really mind hanging out with his father? Not that Erik knew, of course. But did Peter mind?) he entered the room. Erik didn't react as he approached the metal bender.

"Hey, dude," Peter said awkwardly, unsure of how to start a conversation with the older mutant. Erik still didn't look up, staring blankly at nothing. Peter shifted his feet. There was a pause.

"Your friends thought they could spy on an experienced Nazi hunter?" Erik said as a way of conversation, and Peter snorted. Of course, Erik had known the inexperienced teenagers had been lurking. Peter ran a hand through his hair.

"Infants," he agreed, and Erik's head snapped up.

"You are a child too," he said, confused, and Peter shook his head.

"Dude," he said, flapping his hands. "I'm 22. I'm at least 6 years older than all of them." He paused. "Except for Storm, I don't know how old she is. But the rest? Teenagers." Erik blinked in surprise.

"Feeling old?" Peter teased. Erik glanced back at him and Peter struggled to explain himself, because while Peter meant  _hey do you feel old because your son is 22 and that's kind of old,_  as far as Erik was concerned, well, "I'm definitely younger than you, and I've got this youthful face meanwhile you're this old man and when someone younger than you says they're old, well then..." Peter trailed off teasingly, a playful smile on his face, but the inside of his head was anything but cocky. _I should've told him_ , his brain screamed at himself.  _That was the perfect time to tell him!_

 

 

3.

But Erik just glanced out the window. Peter glanced outside too but didn't note anything exceptional. The sun was starting to set, pink and orange hues slowly staining the endless blue of the sky, but it wasn't an unusual sight. Peter frowned to himself.  _Erik must be really down today,_ he thought. He glanced around for a distraction, but found none except... he frowned again and groaned and complained internally.  _No, not that, that's literally the worst! He may think that's fun but it isn't! It's pure torture!_

He glanced at Erik again. The metal bender was staring out the window with a thousand-yard stare, and dark clouds were creeping up in the distance.  _Huh, he's really upset. Man, good thing he doesn't control the weather. Except Ororo does, but she's not sad. So, we can have normal weather here? She doesn't just chase all the bad weather away? That's cool, I guess... wait, Erik, focus on Erik! Sacrifice to make here, man!_

Peter heaved a big sigh into his mind and pointed at the chessboard.

"I don't know how to play chess," he said, and Erik snapped to attention and looked at his son incredulously. "I never learned," he confirmed. He sat down in the chair on the other side of the chessboard. He pointed to a piece at random and tried to recall any chess piece name.

"Is this a pawn?" He asked, and Erik looked flabbergasted and outraged.  _Wrong. Okay. It seemed to set him off. Do it again._  He pointed at another piece. "Horse," he said deliberately because it looked like a horse. 

Peter could swear Erik was seeing red. The elder mutant gnashed his teeth and sat up straighter. He carefully pointed at each piece.

"This is a pawn." he moved to the next piece. "Bishop. This is a Knight, not a horse. Knight." He shook his finger at the piece. "Knight," Erik repeated, staring Peter in the eye.  _Okay, yikes_. _He was a little scary looking but Peter could handle that. Peter was not going to run away. Repeat, Peter was not going to run away from his father._   "This is a Queen. This is a King." Peter counted this as a win in his brain. 

"Tower," The speedster said, pointing at the last piece. Erik looked pained.

"That's a rook," he said, and then began explaining how each piece moved. Peter paid attention to every word that left his father's mouth when it hit him:  _My father is teaching me how to play chess. This isn't playing catch, but it's something important to him. This isn't something I'll do often, but I will never want to spend this time in this moment in any other way doing anything else with anyone else._  He forced himself not to twitch.  _Don't tap your foot. Don't. Pay attention. Shut up, he's talking!_

Erik was still talking, absorbed in his explanation and unaware of Peter's straying thoughts.

"...This piece moves in an L-shape, like this." he demonstrated moved the knight. He gestured at the bishop. "This piece can only move diagonally..."

Finally done explaining, Erik glanced at his watch, and his eyebrows went up.

"I was going to offer you a game, but it's too late for that," he said, disappointed.

"Another time, then," Peter said quickly. Erik looked at him closely.

"You would never sit that still."

"I would for you," Peter promised impulsively, and froze. Erik frowned.

"Why for me?"

"I- I, uhh," Peter floundered.  _Just tell him!_  "I'm-"

**It's dinnertime, please come down to the kitchen.**

Peter sighed in relief at Charles' voice echoing inside his head.

"Well, it looks like I have to go, see ya Erik!" he yelped, and ran out the door lightning fast, leaving Erik behind.

 

 

4.

It was a hot day, too hot to think, and everyone found themselves by the lake in Charles' back yard.

"Who even needs all this land?" Ororo asked incredulously. "I mean, an entire lake?"

"I know, right?" Scott elbowed Jean. "Charles has this rich thing down to pat, huh?"

"Back in Germany-" Kurt started.

"You know who needs this much land?" A voice behind them had the teenage mutants spinning around.

"Someone who is trying to hide fifty-odd mutants who are developing their powers." Erik finished sternly.

"Sure, sure," Peter nodded his head quickly, and the others followed. "Makes sense."

Erik's gaze softened when it hit Peter's. He gestured to the clear, shining water. "Go have fun," he said. The other mutants ran off eagerly, but Peter took his sweet time heading down to the lake.

"What's wrong?" Erik asked curiously, and Peter chewed his bottom lip nervously.

"I can't swim," he admitted nervously, shifting his weight back and forth. "My mom never got around to going to the public pool and teaching the kid who, when they panic, becomes a literal blur," Peter explained. "You know, ding ding, dead give away to what I am right there." Erik hummed thoughtfully.

"I can teach you," he offered slowly, and Peter looked up at him hopefully, then shook his head.

"It'd be kind of weird to learn right now. I'm older than everyone else."

Erik frowned protectively. "You'd be embarrassed?" Peter looked at him, deadpan.

"Wouldn't you?" Erik nodded silently and sat down on the flourishing grass as they reached the water's edge. After a moment, Peter joined him. They sat together for a moment in silence.

"I was embarrassed," Erik admitted finally, and Peter looked over in surprise. Erik caught the gaze and raised an eyebrow.

"You thought I had time to learn in the camps?" He asked, his tone somewhere between severe and joking, and Peter winced. "I didn't learn how to swim until I was 25, easy."

"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh?" Peter joked automatically and then froze. Erik frowned, thoughts racing. 

"What does that mean?" he demanded, tensing.

 

 

5.

Peter panicked. He stood up. 

"Catch ya later," he yelped, and then left Erik's field of view the quickest way possible- by diving into the water.

"Peter!" Erik hollered, terrified, and jumped to his feet. Charles looked over as all the children in the lake froze and Erik's loud shout.

"What is it?" Charles demanded, using his telepathy even as he asked the question.

"He can't swim!" Erik barked, not even pausing to take off his shirt as he left in after his son.

Said son was now sinking to the bottom, terrified out of his wits, at least knowing to hold his breath, flailing his limbs faster than the speed of sound and thinking about what an idiot he was.

Erik dove in and, even as he was smacking by one of the speeding limbs, wrapped an arm around Peter's chest. He pushed off the bottom of the lake and used his powers to fling the two of them out of the lake. He flipped Peter onto his back when the hit the ground, checking for breathing.

Peter spluttered. "Don't do the Heimlich maneuver, I'm alright."

"It's CPR," Erik replied, before his brain caught up. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Uhh, just dive right in?" Peter asked weakly. Erik stood up abruptly, anger apparent.

"You, Peter Maximoff, are an idiot," he growled, and Peter winced.

"Is this what it feels like to be yelled at by a parent?" he asked, and Erik froze.

"What does that mean?" he demanded, and Peter mentally cursed himself.

"Uhhh," Peter said, and Charles came to his rescue.

 **I don't believe Peter's mother was exactly what you would call a more responsible parent.** Charles was kind enough to add Peter to the mental conversation.

"Hey now," he protested. "My little sister is turning out alright."

Erik frowned to himself and he shrugged off his drenched shirt. "I'm getting dry clothes and then I'm staying inside," he said shortly. he had many things to think about.

 

 

+1  
There were many chances for Peter to tell his dad, and many of them had gone horribly. But never in Peter's wildest imagination did telling his father turn out like this:

Peter still couldn't remember what had happened in the past few months.

Finding 1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center Westchester County, New York was must easier than Peter had expected. He sped over to the front of the school and found himself reluctant to enter. he walked around the school, passing the children frozen in the middle of a P.E. class.

And there he was. His father, the metal bender, Magneto, who was frozen in mid-act of-

Peter unfroze time.

"Wow," he said in surprise. "I mean, I wondered, but..."   
The two men jumped apart in surprise and turned to face the speedster in shock.

"Peter?" Erik cried, eyes widening with awe.

"What did you do to your hair?!" Charles yelped. "It looks hideous!"

"Really?" Peter frowned, and tugged lightly on his long blond strands. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

Erik striped forward and wrapped his son up in his arms.

"Hugs now, haircut later," the metal bender said, voice suspiciously rough.

"Are you crying?" Peter demanded, and tried to wriggle out of Erik's embrace, but the metal controller's grip was like iron.

"He missed you," Charles said. "As did I."

"It's touchy-feely," Peter said. "It's like you know that you're my father already."

 

Everyone froze.

"Do you?" Peter asked. "I don't really remember anything after Apocalypse."

Erik grabbed Peter tightly by the shoulder and separated the hug. "How long have you known?" Erik demanded.

Peter shrugged. "I don't know." Erik made a strangled sound and pulled him back into the hug.

"My god," Erik wheezed. "All this drama and tip-toeing around for nothing."


	42. Peter is a loser (and he knows it)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter. I needed some symbolism.

Peter is a loser.

He knows it. He’s 23 years old, has no job, and lives in his dad's boyfriend's house. What else do you call it? He tries not to feel like a loser, he really does. But stealing things can only make a person so proud of themselves, and it certainly doesn’t make a person proud of him. His parents are cool like that, not necessarily proud but they understand the best they can and they're great parents. It makes him wish that he doesn’t have that _urge to take it even though he doesn’t need it and he has not a clue what he’s gonna do with it, he just wants it and his powers don’t make it any easier, they just taunt him and tell him that he could grab and no one would even notice and just steal it._  

So yeah, Peter is a loser. 

But he's gotten better at not stealing as often. It's kind of hard to run to the nearest convenience store and back when your dad's boyfriend doesn't live in a big city, per se.

And the look he gets when he doesn't steal things, and just tells Hank "Hey, can you add this to the grocery list"? It's a good look. Of pride. And even when he goes and visits his mom, and doesn't steal things, and the police don't come knocking at her door anymore, he gets more looks of pride.

Healing was slow, and it sucked. He had to relearn some things. His memories returned slowly. He found himself lashing out automatically when things got tense, nightmares arriving more often than not. He can't believe how much of a loser he was. He couldn't even tell his own dad that he was his father until he forgot if his dad had already known or not? And it turned out his dad also knew but they were just tip-toeing around each other? Peter was a loser, but hey, at least he knew where he got it from. Just saying.

Peter has gotten better at a lot of things. At school, for example. Charles has been helping him learn college-level stuff, which makes Peter feel less like a loser because he was kind of a high school drop-out. But now, like, he _knows_ things. He reads books and enjoys them. He can actually tell people that Macbeth is his favorite Shakespeare book, which honestly is Hank's fault because Hank's a little nerd and Shakespeare is for nerds. So Hank's a loser.

He's even a little smart. When he visits his mom, he can help his little sister with her middle school homework. Sometimes Erik comes along, and things get a little awkward, but at least his mom is glaring at Erik and not him, so who's the loser in that situation? Not Peter, that's for sure.

Peter even knows how to drive now. Hank taught him. Hank, who doesn't rip off car parts when Peter gets them wrong and doesn't know how to drive anything other than good old-fashioned American cars. Hank, who has infinite patience.

Hank, who doesn't cower in fear when Erik glares at him for teaching his son something the metal bender couldn't. Is Erik the loser, for being unable to drive a car in America? Or is Hank, for being a nerd? Or maybe Peter, because he doesn't know where the first car was made? Peter is a loser, and while he knows it, for once, he doesn't mind as much.

The X-Men train in the Danger Room before breakfast, just a quick warm-up. Raven watches them with pride, pride in every member, including Peter. They team up in pairs to practice fight moves, and Peter and Kurt have to fight Storm and Jubilee, who's so happy to finally be a part of the X-Men. Jubilee and Storm are the losers in this scenario, but they grin brightly afterward anyways. Peter smiles back.

He high-fives Kurt as he walks down the hallway. Scott's the loser today, when he woke up this morning with 'I love Jean' written on his forehead in Sharpie. Erik's also the loser today, because he has to make breakfast again. And again. And again every morning. But that's okay, because Scott will forgive him and Erik doesn't mind making breakfast, and Erik is the best cook in the house.

Erik is the best dad in the house, too. Not that it's a competition. And he's Peter's dad. And he knows. So maybe Peter's a winner.

"I'm a winner," Peter breathes quietly to himself as he watches Charles smile brightly at Erik, who serves the children pancakes with a fond look, while Jean and Scott exchange glances of teenage love over the table, the Sharpie not yet faded.

Peter is a winner. And he knows that he's just seeing the beginning of it.

And hey, you can't win all of them, he knows that too, but Peter thinks that his luck is finally starting to turn around.

"What's on your mind?" Erik asks from across the kitchen table, an eyebrow raised and Peter grins, relaxed.

"Oh, it's nothing." the speedster replies casually, and Erik smiles back at him fondly before returning to his pancakes.

Yup, Peter's a winner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first came up with the idea of What'd Ya Do, one year and six months ago, I had no idea how it was going to end.
> 
> I didn't have an ao3 account. I had a quotev account, and I barely wrote one chapter before someone was already telling me they loved it. I used quotev as a testing place before ao3 and monitored their reactions to the end of the fic before I even started putting it here. As I added chapters here, I'd find myself making changes, adding new chapters, new twists. I let that happen and I updated the old version as well.
> 
> Back then, my plan for the story was: Let's Get To X-Men Apocalypse. I wrote two chapters and then went on a one and a half month hiatus. 
> 
> When I was four months into writing it, I started thinking, "Where is this story going?" and I wrote out a plan. The story would be 14 chapters long, and it would follow X-Men Days of Future Past and X-Men Apocalypse until Major Stryker took all mutants. He then would being experimenting on poor Peter, while the others forgot about him and went to take down Apocalypse. Afterwards, they would realize Peter wasn't with them and Magneto would lead the attack on Stryker's Base. As I approached Chapter 14, I quickly realized that the story was going to have more chapters than I originally thought, but I didn't mind. I changed my plan. I didn't like it anyways.
> 
> The story would end about two months after X-Men Apocalypse. They would know they were family and be happy. I was going to make Erik tell Peter after they defeated Apocalypse. This plan was discarded almost immediately and I finished writing X-Men Apocalypse with no sign of stopping.
> 
> I enjoyed writing, no matter how badly I wrote. I stopped thinking "What chapter will this story end on" and started thinking, "I could update this story for forever and I'd be okay with that". I wrote as I went along. I finished X-Men Apocalypse and thought, "What now?" The story hadn't gone the way I had planned. I couldn't figure out how Erik and Peter were going to tell each other the truth. I wanted to keep writing more chapters. And so I did. I kept writing and I went back to fix tiny loop holes and big spelling mistakes and inconsistencies. I still wanted Stryker to kidnap Peter, so I let him. I wanted angst now. As I wrote, I wondered how I would loop it back to Dark Phoenix.
> 
> When Dark Phoenix finally came out, I was excited. I hadn't finished the Stryker part yet, but I thought if I wrapped it up quickly, I could move on to Dark Phoenix. But as I wrapped it up, it took longer than I expected and I found that I no longer wanted to add Dark Phoenix to the storyline. I just added angst to the story, I didn't want to add Dark Phoenix angst as well. I couldn't figure out how to fix Dark Phoenix.
> 
> I no longer had a vision for the future, and the climax for the Stryker section was over. I had four chapters left planned out and I could see how to end the story. I looked inside myself and was surprised to find that I didn't mind that it was finally ending. I still wanted it to go on, of course, but I had other Peter and Erik ideas, ones that wouldn't fit with this story. And this would be a good and fair ending to What'd Ya Do.
> 
> And so it is finished. I may change my mind again. I may rewatch Dark phoenix and go, "Quicksilver could have done something here". That's all it takes for my brain to make a new idea. And I may work on What'd Ya Do again. But for now, it is done. Erik and Peter know, and are a peace. They need a little break from all that chaos. And so I'm letting them.
> 
> What'd Ya Do has been my pride and joy and this ending is a fit birthday present for myself lol


	43. A sequel is made (why couldnt i just update this one and make this fic the longest one in the ship)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You guys. >:(

I’m equally angry and ecstatic to announce that your 30+ comments have given you a sequel.

and it’s not even because of the comments asking for a sequel, just a person asking about how peter would recover post story 

Heres what the sequel will be about:

-X-Men Dark Phoenix. You guys get my Peter in XMDP. There probably won’t be a Genosha. Dadneto stays IN the house. Jean won’t maybe die. Dark Phoenix will be less an angsty disaster. There will still be angst.

-Peters recovery. It will be dragged out the proper length and then some more. This is the main point of angst.

-One of my favorite x men fandom friends doesn’t like Cherik so again, not many chapters about it.

 

I am already through the first chapter, will post it today or tomorrow. You win. :)


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